The restaurant chain said it didn't know what the group was up to when it booked. "On Friday night, Maggiano's in Friendship Heights was the inadvertent site of a protest that caused us to close our restaurant to protect the safety of our Teammates and Guests," Maggiano's Little Italy President Steve Provost said in a statement. "The protesters were upset because of a banquet we were hosting for a group called the National Policy Institute (NPI). 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."
Without referring to Tila Tequila by name, Mr. Provost went on to discuss her post.
"After the event, a guest sent a tweet in which she made a 'Sieg Heil salute' in support of Hitler and white supremacy. This expression of support of Hitler is extremely offensive to us, as our restaurant is home to Teammates and Guests of every race, religion and cultural background," he said in the statement. "We want to sincerely apologize to the community of Friendship Heights for inadvertently hosting this meeting, which resulted in hateful sentiment. We want you to know that at the suggestion of one of our guests, we are donating the profits from our restaurant sales on Friday, $10,000, to the DC office of the Anti-Defamation League, which for decades has been working to bring people together in peace and understanding."
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