Unexpected: The Red Hen, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and the Kindness of Strangers
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On June 25th, 2018 in Old Saybrook, CT, Red Hen restaurant owner Shelley Deproto started her morning with a stream of online threats targeting her restaurant. The night before, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders had been asked to leave an entirely different, unaffiliated Red Hen restaurant in Virginia. Overnight, Shelley became the focus of national media attention. Her Yelp review dropped from a 4.5 to a 2. But she refused to get political, and instead shared her positive message about kindness and pursuing one's passion even amidst a divisive time.
“The truth shall set you free. I just told the truth. We’re here to cook. We’re here to provide a safe haven for dining...we are not here to impart our own political opinions on anyone. Refocusing on that during this whole mess kept us grounded. ”