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Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms is attempting to cancel a black-owned business for serving a Republican.
Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, joined online calls Friday to boycott Toast on Lenox, a popular black woman-owned Atlanta restaurant, after it welcomed Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, according to a video posted to Instagram. (RELATED: 'Abundantly Clear': Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Won't Seek Reelection)
Rather than push back against the boycott efforts, Bottoms appeared to amplify the backlash, acknowledging the "online chatter" surrounding Jackson's visit to "minority-owned businesses" and a "black-owned business owned by a woman."
Although she did not directly name the restaurant, Bottoms warned that anyone who welcomes Jackson "has made a calculated decision based on the benefits and the risks of doing that."
Jackson campaign spokesman Garrison Douglas criticized Bottoms' remarks, pointing to her record during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Monday press release shared with the Daily Caller.
"Around 100 small businesses shuttered in Atlanta because of Keisha Lance Bottoms' COVID policies, and now she wants to cancel Georgia small businesses based on who they let through the door," he said.
Douglas added, "As governor, Rick Jackson won't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. He will fight for all 11 million Georgians and ensure opportunity has no zip code or party affiliation."
Toast on Lenox pushed back against the criticism in an Instagram statement, saying a photo featuring a guest was taken during a visit and that any political statements made in the post reflected only the individual and not the restaurant's views, according to the Friday post.
The owners said the restaurant "has always been a place where all people are welcomed with the same hospitality and respect." They added that their focus as black entrepreneurs has been serving the community, creating jobs and providing hospitality — not endorsing political candidates. (RELATED: Rick Jackson Defeats Trump- And Kemp-Endorsed Burt Jones In Georgia GOP Governor Runoff)
Chef and co-owner Virgil Harper previously addressed the controversy in a separate Instagram post, writing, "A Discussion is not a Vote" with the hashtag #StayWoke, according to a report from TheGrio
The boycott campaign is not an isolated moment in Bottoms' political career.
As mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bottoms ordered Atlanta back into shutdown restrictions, a move that contributed to the closure of local businesses, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
The decision also prompted the state of Georgia to challenge the city's restrictions in court in an effort to prevent the mayor from imposing further business closures.
In 2021, as mayor, Bottoms highlighted Major League Baseball's decision to pull its annual All-Star Game out of Georgia as a consequence of election integrity legislation passed by her political opponents. The move took an estimated $100 million from Cobb County hotels, restaurants, and hourly workers, according to a report from The Hill.
"Just as elections have consequences, so do the actions of those who are elected. Unfortunately, the removal of the MLB All Star game from GA is likely the 1st of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers put in place to restrict access to the ballot box are removed," Bottoms wrote in a post on X.
Just a year later, Bottoms — who went on to serve as a senior advisor in the Biden administration — publicly named and tagged The Capital Grille to her hundreds of thousands of followers after she was booted from the restaurant, according to an 11 Alive report.
Bottoms was refused service for wearing leggings, which the restaurant said violated its dress code policy. (RELATED: Atlanta Mayor Lays Blame On White House For Ahmaud Arbery Shooting)
In 2024, Bottoms posted to X that was again turned away from an Atlanta-area restaurant over wearing what she described as "yoga pants."
The candidate said she would not identify the restaurant, explaining, "I was told the last time I did, people called and threatened the staff."
The Daily Caller reached out to Toast on Lenox and Bottoms' campaign for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
