Maggiano’s Little Italy, a restaurant that came under fire for hosing a white nationalist event last week, issued an apology on Monday.
The National Policy Institute-sponsored dinner was held Friday at the D.C. restaurant ahead of a white nationalist conference held over the weekend to celebrate the presidential election of Donald Trump. The dinner drew protestors who were forced away by police.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the restaurant apologized for “inadvertently” hosting the dinner, and that it didn’t realize it was for the National Policy Institute.
“This was a last minute booking made Friday afternoon, and the reservation was made under a different name, therefore we were not aware that NPI was dining with us or what the group represents,” the statement said.
The statement referred to one attendee who tweeted a Nazi salute after the event. Prior to attending the conference, former reality star and prominent Trump supporter Tila Tequila posted a photo to Twitter raising a Nazi salute with other white nationalists. Her account has since been suspended.
“This expression of support of Hitler is extremely offensive to us, as our restaurant is home to Teammates ad Guests of every race, religion and cultural background,” the statement said.
The restaurant plans to donate $10,000 in profit from Friday’s sales to D.C.’s Anti-Defamation League office.
Update: Donald Trump condemned the alt-right gathering during a meeting with the New York Times on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
