A Little Rock restaurant has responded after the office of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was told to leave from the establishment.

Sanders said on Friday, March 13, that she joined a group for lunch with two people at The Croissanterie and was accompanied by her State Police Executive Protection Detail, according to a statement provided by the governor's office.

The Croissanterie explained in a written statement that when they were made aware of the governor's presence inside the restaurant, they were "surprised and uncertain how best to respond." They said that since she and her staff were already seated and eating, they chose not to interrupt.

Sanders said that after being seated in the restaurant for over an hour and fifteen minutes and food already paid for, the owner of The Croissanterie approached a member of the protective detail and allegedly asked her to leave because her presence was supposedly “making employees threatened and uncomfortable because of her political views."

The Croissanterie denies any statements "indicating that anyone felt threatened."

Croissanterie staff say that as the presence of the governor and her security detail became more widely noticed by guests and employees alike, questions were raised about them remaining in the building. "As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences."

In the restaurant's statement, they said that allowing her to stay "risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up" their staff, but also asking Sanders and her team to leave "could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs."

About an hour into the visit, a staff member approached someone on the security detail and "asked to encourage" the governor to leave, "as she had finished dining," according to the statement.

Since the restaurant has a 90-minute table limit, the security detail was approached a second time and asked to leave roughly 10 minutes before that time limit.

As they were leaving, the governor's staff said that a man allegedly yelled, “it’s time to go,” and then proceeded to make a crude hand gesture in the governor’s direction. The Croissanterie would say that man was a customer and not an employee.

"Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn't meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” Sanders concluded her statement with.

"We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision," The Croissanterie said in their statement. "However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests."

Both the Sanders administration and The Croissanterie have released statements commenting on the incident. You can find them below:

In response to the incident, Governor Sanders released the following statement: 

"Last week, I was having lunch with two other moms at a restaurant when the owner approached a member of the State Police Executive Protection Detail and said my presence made their employees feel threatened and told us to leave. Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn't meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate.”

The Croissanterie also released the following statement in response to the incident:

"When we became aware that the governor had arrived at the restaurant announced, we were surprised and uncertain how best to respond. By the time we entered the dining room, she was already seated and eating. At that point, we chose not to interrupt, expecting that the party would complete their meal and depart without issue. 

However, as the presence of her security detail became more widely noticed, by both employees and guests, questions were raised about them remaining in the restaurant. As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences. Allowing her to stay risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up the majority of our team, as well as their families and friends. Conversely, asking her to leave could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs.

Ultimately, we made the decision to support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable. To clarify, we do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened. 

Approximately one hour into the visit, a member of the security detail was quietly approached and asked to encourage the governor to conclude her visit, as she had finished dining. Beverages were offered to the party for the road. Nearly 30 minutes later, the party remained on the premises. 

As the 90-minute table seating limit approached, the security detail was approached a second time and informed that approximately 10 minutes remained. Around this time, another customer attempted to involve themselves in the situation and was asked to step away. 

After reviewing camera footage, we confirmed that a member of the security detail did send a message to the governor following the initial request; however, it was not seen at that time. Once the message was received, she and her party departed without incident. 

It is also important to note that many guests in the main dining room were unaware of the situation, and there was no applause or disruption as has been suggested. Additionally, the individual who made an inappropriate hand gesture was a customer – not an employee – and the matter has been addressed. 

We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision. However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests."