Washington DC server dismissed for anti-Trump remarks; Beuchert’s Saloon issues apology – ‘not our views’

Suzannah Van Rooy, a former server at Beuchert’s Saloon in Washington, D.C., has been dismissed following controversial statements about potentially refusing service to Trump administration officials due to moral opposition to policies like deportation and sex trafficking.

In a recent interview with Washingtonian, Van Rooy said, “I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” she says. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”

Beuchert’s Saloon responds

Following Van Rooy’s statements, Beuchert’s Saloon fired her for violating their zero-tolerance policy on discrimination. Beuchert’s said that Van Rooy had signed into their social media accounts without authorization to post personal rhetoric, further breaching restaurant protocol.

Beuchert’s clarified: “Not only do Ms. Van Rooy’s comments clearly violate our zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, but her decision to sign into our social media accounts in the middle of the night to post her own rhetoric in wildly offensive responses to comments is a further breach of conduct and protocol. She has no authority to speak on our behalf, and her comments do not reflect the positions of over twenty other people who make up our staff. For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately.”

The statement added that her actions did not reflect the positions of the 20 staff members at the establishment.

Beuchert’s Saloon’s apology

The restaurant called Van Rooy’s actions “unforgivable”. Beuchert’s also emphasized that the incident should not reflect poorly on the restaurant or its employees.

In its first statement, it said: “we deeply apologize for the comments made by a member of staff. They are NOT representative of our restaurant and do not reflect how we operate as a business, and how proud we are to be a gathering place on Capitol Hill.”

“Our staff and families (many of whom are personally offended by Ms. Van Rooy’s comments about them) are still reeling from what Ms. Van Rooy said and did, and we as a restaurant are simply horrified to be associated with base prejudice,” the statement concluded.