The Red Hen owner resigns as executive director of Main Street Lexington

Main Street Lexington

Main Street Lexington exists to enhance the economic prosperity and cultural vitality of our community, re-establishing downtown Lexington as the vibrant economic and cultural nexus of our area while maintaining its unique character.
We are a volunteer-based organization established in 2013. We are affiliate members of the Virginia Main Street Program, which uses a proven "Four Point Approach" created by the National Main Street Center to achieve economic revitalization in the context of historic preservation.

wsls 10 News

LEXINGTON, Va. - Stephanie Wilkinson has resigned from her role with Main Street Lexington, a volunteer-based organization.

Elizabeth Outland Branner, the president of the organization, accepted Wilkinson's resignation Tuesday morning.

"Considering the events of the past weekend, Stephanie felt it best that for the continued success of Main Street Lexington, she should step aside," Branner wrote in an email.

Wilkinson came under fire after asking White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her restaurant, The Red Hen, on Friday night.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

IMO, the primary reason she resigned was more likely that she was given that opportunity to do so as it looks better on her resume' than 'terminated from employment'.

Profit margins - continuing clientele - positive reputation = continued success of MSL and The Red Hen in particular. What Wilkinson did was to take her personal political opinion and make a statement with it using her position as restaurant owner and executive director of the MSL. She clearly overlooked the importance of 'economic revitalization' and 'cultural vitality' for her more pressing virtues of intolerance and bigotry.

So, again, let this be a lesson. If you think that being affiliated with a political viewpoint means you can conduct yourself towards others you disagree with with impunity and without consequence, think again.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

This is only going to ramp tensions up, in my opinion.


The hatred that the anti-Trump people have is irrational.

Disagree on policy, even hate his orange skin or tiny hands!

But now it's open season on anyone who didn't vote for Hillary.


Because face it, that's why they're pissed at all the Trump voters.




We didn't vote for Hillary.

It would be cool to get a bunch of buds together and go eat there. Wait until we get our food, then everyone whip out MAGA hats, just to see what happens.

originally posted by: Sublimecraft
Main Street Lexington

Main Street Lexington exists to enhance the economic prosperity and cultural vitality of our community, re-establishing downtown Lexington as the vibrant economic and cultural nexus of our area while maintaining its unique character.
We are a volunteer-based organization established in 2013. We are affiliate members of the Virginia Main Street Program, which uses a proven "Four Point Approach" created by the National Main Street Center to achieve economic revitalization in the context of historic preservation.

wsls 10 News

LEXINGTON, Va. - Stephanie Wilkinson has resigned from her role with Main Street Lexington, a volunteer-based organization.

Elizabeth Outland Branner, the president of the organization, accepted Wilkinson's resignation Tuesday morning.

"Considering the events of the past weekend, Stephanie felt it best that for the continued success of Main Street Lexington, she should step aside," Branner wrote in an email.

Wilkinson came under fire after asking White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her restaurant, The Red Hen, on Friday night.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

IMO, the primary reason she resigned was more likely that she was given that opportunity to do so as it looks better on her resume' than 'terminated from employment'.

Profit margins - continuing clientele - positive reputation = continued success of MSL and The Red Hen in particular. What Wilkinson did was to take her personal political opinion and make a statement with it using her position as restaurant owner and executive director of the MSL. She clearly overlooked the importance of 'economic revitalization' and 'cultural vitality' for her more pressing virtues of intolerance and bigotry.

So, again, let this be a lesson. If you think that being affiliated with a political viewpoint means you can conduct yourself towards others you disagree with with impunity and without consequence, think again.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Main Street Lexington is not the restaurant.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Why the heck did they follow them to next restaurant? That may have something to do with it also. What is wrong with people?

I'm astounded that an adult of even a basic level of intelligence doesn't think things through or see the OBVIOUS result of certain actions.

It's like sticking your hand in a fire and then being shocked and confused when it burns.

a reply to: Greven

Read the OP, I make that distinction clear.

originally posted by: DBCowboy





We didn't vote for Hillary.

You didn't vote for her because you are a sexist pig that grabs women by the crotch! The one chance in 200+ years to get our first female President and people like you ruined it!! You and anyone else that voted for Trump should be put on trial by the #MeToo movement to get your Weinstein participation trophy....





BTW Sarcasm for those who can not understand humor...

originally posted by: Tekaran
It would be cool to get a bunch of buds together and go eat there. Wait until we get our food, then everyone whip out MAGA hats, just to see what happens.

Actually eat 80% of your dinner them put them on to see if they tell you to leave...seeing free dinner there.

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: Sublimecraft

Why the heck did they follow them to next restaurant? That may have something to do with it also. What is wrong with people?

What is wrong with them? They are utter morons.

a reply to: Greven

Try actually reading the OP instead of knee jerk responding.

I know its hard and against all reason but, its pretty clear in the OP



Personally I dont feel anyone should lose their job because of their political or religious views UNLESS, that person is hostile to their customers or its become a problem and detriment to the company.

That being said, it wasnt her political views that caused this , it was her actions directly.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

That's the beauty of Capitalism. This group didn't want politics to ruin their business plan, so since one of them decided it a good practice to involve politics and business they most likely asked her to leave instead of harboring her and loosing money and their goal of business prosperity in their community?


Why a business would become political and isolate and piss off half of their possible customer base is beyond me.

a reply to: Tarzan the apeman.

What is wrong with people?

They are following an organized well-funded orchestrated resistance m.o. Some are bigger players, executive planners, and some are just pawns whose cheese has slid off their cracker and are doing what they're told to do.

They only have partial information and don't look at the big picture or research the depth of an issue. They just hear some bumper-sticker phrase that gets them emotionally charged, and the players and planners flip their switch and these loonies do their dirty work. Kind of like the way MS-13 is used to do their wet work.

It's getting nasty out there, folks. These are loonies that live by the motto BAMN. They're looking for violence to ensue.

originally posted by: SailorJerry
a reply to: Greven

Try actually reading the OP instead of knee jerk responding.

I know its hard and against all reason but, its pretty clear in the OP



Personally I dont feel anyone should lose their job because of their political or religious views UNLESS, that person is hostile to their customers or its become a problem and detriment to the company.

That being said, it wasnt her political views that caused this , it was her actions directly.

I did. Did I say the OP was wrong? Yesh, y'all need to get a grip.

It's being passed around that this was the restaurant elsewhere.

a reply to: Greven

But not here, so why respond as if it was?

a reply to: ketsuko
Heading it off at the pass. Why so critical of every little thing?

How about discussing the OP instead of this nonsense?

originally posted by: Greven

originally posted by: SailorJerry
a reply to: Greven

Try actually reading the OP instead of knee jerk responding.

I know its hard and against all reason but, its pretty clear in the OP



Personally I dont feel anyone should lose their job because of their political or religious views UNLESS, that person is hostile to their customers or its become a problem and detriment to the company.

That being said, it wasnt her political views that caused this , it was her actions directly.

I did. Did I say the OP was wrong? Yesh, y'all need to get a grip.

It's being passed around that this was the restaurant elsewhere.

Understood. The delivery of your post seemed quite 'matter-of-fact' in its abruptness. No harm, no foul.

So much winning today. How many Ls can one group of people (libs) tolerate?

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: Sublimecraft
Why a business would become political and isolate and piss off half of their possible customer base is beyond me.

Because they're not good business people.

I have a suspicion that such businesses are, despite appearances, probably not doing well to begin with. They seem to be focused on locking in market share, rather than growing it. To me, that implies they were probably already hemorrhaging somewhere on their P&L.

You might have some quick-win windfalls by your new viral popularity, but 'viral' customers are not the same a 'buying' customers.

originally posted by: Greven
a reply to: ketsuko
Heading it off at the pass. Why so critical of every little thing?

How about discussing the OP instead of this nonsense?

Again, because it was made clear in the OP

Theres nothing to head off when its made clear.

Seems to me youre trying to instigate something