By Luke Fountain
The Red Hen, a centerpiece of Lexington’s downtown restaurant scene, will close its doors, at least temporarily, at the end of the year.
Starting in 2024, the farm-to-table restaurant has announced it will unveil a “brand new project,” according to a statement on Facebook.
“We can’t say too much about it now – we believe anticipation whets the appetite – but we can tell you that Chef Matt Adams will be bringing something brand new to the Lexington dining scene,” the statement says. “The new venture will bring to life a vision that’s been simmering behind the scenes for awhile.”
Along with a new menu, the restaurant will be remodeled and have a new name.
Red Hen gained international notoriety when it kicked out the then-White House press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in June 2018. Red Hen’s owner, Stephanie Wilkinson, asked Sanders to leave because she worked for then-President Donald Trump.
Sanders and Trump both took to Twitter following the incident.
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
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) June 23, 2018
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The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018
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The Red Hen and other restaurants were swarmed with threats nasty and reviews online, and picketers marching throughout downtown for the rest of the summer.
On Facebook, the Red Hen says more information will be shared with the public “in the coming days.”