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Hatred of President Trump and his staff is in poor taste

It's important to note the geography: in 2016, Lexington voted against Trump "overwhelmingly".

If I were asked to describe Sarah Sanders, I'd probably call her an "echo chamber" of United States President Donald Trump. I can't blame her; as White House Press Secretary, that's her job. But because Trump has been - by and large - contentious with (both) his policies and points of view, Sanders, by extension, hasn't come off too kindly either.
Is that, however, a good (or bad) enough reason for her to be shown the door - at a restaurant called Red Hen, where, presumably, she was about to sit down for an apolitical, non-contentious meal with family and friends?
The Red Hen is a tiny, 26-seat "farm-to-table" dining establishment in Lexington - a small town with a population of approximately 7,000, in the state of Virginia. It's important to note the geography: in 2016, Lexington voted against Trump "overwhelmingly". On Friday evening, there was a booking for a table for eight under the name of Sanders' husband. When the group turned up, many people (customers as well as serving staff) recognised the White House press secretary immediately. Stephanie Wilkinson, owner of Red Hen, who had left for the day, was called up and apprised of the situation; she returned to the restaurant; and after a short consultation with her staff, she decided to take a call: let's ask Sarah Sanders to leave.
She did the honours personally. She requested Sanders to get up from her table and walk down with her to the patio. There, Wilkinson told The Washington Post, "I was babbling a little, but I got my point across in a polite and direct fashion. I explained that the restaurant has certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation." Finally, she cut to the chase: "I'd like to ask you to leave."
Without wasting a moment, Sanders replied, "That's fine. I'll go." (She left with her group, and even offered to pay for the cheese boards they had ordered before the intervention.)
According to Wilkinson (again, in The Washington Post), "This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals", so she did it, even though she admitted she's "not a huge fan of confrontation. I have a business, and I want the business to thrive".
Sanders, for her part, tweeted, "Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so [sic]."
The incident reminded me of something that happened in my hometown Kolkata, India, some years ago. A guest, who was accompanied by her driver, was asked to leave a fairly upscale restaurant off Park Street because the "management" felt her "companion" didn't conform to the non-stated codes of the establishment; maybe he was too People Like Them - not People Like Us?
While the Sanders-being-turned-out-of-Red-Hen matter was discussed at the morning meeting at work, a colleague helpfully pointed out that "rights of admission" are "reserved" by restaurant managements; it's their prerogative to decide who should be allowed in. Which is fine, I thought, as long as those reservations were specified. So, if a fine-dining outlet has a 'formal' or 'semi-formal' dress code, and you show up in shorts, and a torn T-shirt, you can be denied entry.
In Sanders' case, there were no such aberrations. From all reports, she was dressed appropriately, wasn't mouthing expletives and wasn't being provocative. Lexington may have voted "overwhelmingly" against Trump, but surely that's not a good enough reason for a restaurant (located in the zone) to ostracise a diner just because she's on the other side of the political debate.
In an era that is fomenting intolerance of every size and shape, this sets a worrying precedent: even in the hospitality sector - which has traditionally banked on goodwill - innate biases are being translated into actions that are far from hospitable. A Philadelphia outlet of a major coffee chain had been in the news in April for being "racist"; the management came down heavily on a couple of customers because they were of a "certain colour". Social media and the rest of the world's thinking population were quick to condemn that unequivocally - and hats off for that. But how is the Sanders' incident any different? Are we going to be as united in the condemnation?
Stephanie Wilkinson, the owner of Red Hen, may be a badge-carrying Democrat. Maybe she has a different compass about what constitutes ethics and morality than Sanders or Trump. Good for her. But what's to stop her from being the better person? Serve your customer, as you're supposed to. And if she really wanted to get her point across to Sanders, she could have taken her aside, respectfully, and told her, "I don't agree with your political agenda - but I hope politics was off your table here and you had a good meal!"
Or, she could have simply put up a notice at the entry to Red Hen: "Republican White House staff not allowed."   
sushmita@khaleejtimes.com