The libertarian in me insists that a private company should be able to deny business to anyone. In the days before all the bits and pieces about “public accommodations” were accepted, it wasn’t uncommon to see signs in bars, restaurants, and the like that said, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.”
However, these same private companies also have the right to expect their employees to accept management’s rules about who gets served and who doesn’t. When a waitress at a restaurant in the District of Columbia announced her refusal to serve Trump officials, her employer took quick action, as was likely to happen put a grin on the president-elect’s face.
A Washington, DC area A restaurant waitress was fired after speaking out about potentially refusing service to future Trump administration officials.
“I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know is a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” said Suzannah Van Rooy, a waitress at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hilltold Washingtonian this week. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral beliefs that strongly contradict mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”
Suzannah Van Rooy has a right to her opinion, but not at the expense of her employer. Her employer acted decisively. And correctly.
Beuchert’s Saloon tells Fox News Digital that Van Rooy’s comments were “reprehensible” and that she had been fired for violating its “zero tolerance policy towards discrimination.”
Beuchert’s said the former employee was a part-time server and not a manager. She released statements on social media condemning her comments after they were brought to her attention on Thursday.
“Recent comments from an employee who was not authorized to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been rightly labeled as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant and unacceptable. This employee does NOT speak for us as a restaurant. “Beucherts first statement on Thursday said.
That is the correct answer.
Restaurants are among the more demanding compact businesses. My father-in-law managed cafeterias for nearly 60 years until we finally persuaded him to retire a few months before his 80th birthday, and he always points out that restaurants have the highest failure rate of any business of similar size. So a restaurant on Capitol Hill in the District of Columbia can’t afford to alienate half of its potential customer base or leave it to a stupid left-wing employee.
However, the same rule applies if a waiter refused to serve Biden administration officials against their employer’s wishes. This is the case of applying the “shoe on the other foot” rule. Principles, not principles.
See related: The left’s views on Trump being named Person of the Year are pure gold
Oh, BOO-HOO: DC grocery workers vow to refuse service, further inconveniencing Trump officials
I don’t plan on hanging out on Capitol Hill any time soon – the closest plans take me to National Harbor, Maryland, and I don’t plan on driving to the District – but if I were in the area, I’d like Beuchert’s Saloon visit and I guess I would enjoy the experience.
The Restaurant added:
“We are still the same restaurant known for our warm service and friendly staff and hope you all visit us soon. We look forward to serving you. All of them,” it wrote.
That’s reasonable. Beuchert’s business is serving food and drink, not political activism. It’s good that management understands this.
