The owner of a Washington pizzeria said she would welcome President Donald Trump to her shop and called it a "privilege," dismissing a Washingtonian warning that any restaurant in the capital would be thrust into a "political maelstrom" by serving the president.
Washingtonian food editor Jessica Sidman wrote Thursday that restaurants in the nation’s capital would be in a "losing situation" whether they welcomed Trump or not, saying businesses would likely face boycott threats and an onslaught of online and in-person backlash. Sidman cited Menomale Pizzeria as an example of an establishment that drew controversy after posting a congratulatory message to Trump following the 2024 election.
Menomale owner Mariya Rusciano responded on X, saying it would be disrespectful to turn the president away and that doing so would also reject millions of fellow Americans who voted differently. "We welcome everyone & it would be a privilege to welcome @POTUS," she wrote, adding a lighter note that she had heard Trump "eats pizza with a fork & knife, like a true Neapolitan."
Rusciano thanked Sidman for mentioning her restaurant and told Fox News Digital that hosting the president would be an opportunity to demonstrate unity in the city. "We do not want to be associated with the notion that a D.C. business should fear to welcome the president or that we fear to welcome him because of what happened back in November with our congratulatory post," she said. "Quite the opposite is true — it would be a privilege!"
She acknowledged that the restaurant had been subjected to calls for boycott and name-calling after the November post but said the positive responses outnumbered the negative. Rusciano previously told Fox News in December that the viral discussions and messages of support had convinced her there was a move toward civility in the capital. "As the post started going viral across D.C. and the region, we received many more messages of support far outweighing the negative comments," she said, adding that she hoped the episode could be highlighted as an example of "civility, unity and tolerance."
Tensions over whether to serve or refuse service to political figures and their supporters have played out across Washington this year. Local coverage has included incidents such as the firing of a D.C. restaurant server after comments about refusing service to some Trump administration officials, illustrating how decisions by hospitality businesses can draw public scrutiny and employment consequences.
Rusciano said she hoped Menomale’s response would serve as a reminder that restaurants routinely serve a wide cross-section of the public and that policies of hospitality should transcend political divides. The exchange underscores the fraught environment for businesses in Washington as they navigate public reaction to political expression and the presence of high-profile figures in the city.