John Konstin, owner of the iconic John’s Grill on Union Square restaurant in San Francisco, ripped 2020 White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for being “cranky” and “rude” to staff during a recent visit.
Sanders was in town last week for the annual Democrat National Committee’s (DNC) summer meeting when he and members of his campaign reportedly dropped into the 111-year-old eatery on Thursday evening.
“It was all very nice, except for cranky Bernie,” Konstin told Politico’s California Playbook. “He was just rude, not friendly.”
“I think he was hungry and just didn’t want to be a politician. He lost my vote,” the bistro owner added. In addition to hosting Sanders, Konstin welcomed a “big party” with Californa Democrats Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Secretary of State Alex Padilla. The larger dinner was headed up by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who the restaurant owner referred to as “pure class.”
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, a spokesperson for John’s Grill said it is unlike Konstin to speak ill of patrons and thus the Vermont senator had to have been in a “terrible mood.”
“Anyone in the public eye needs to understand when it’s time to order room service,” the spokesperson added.
Despite his foul mood, Sanders left a tip and his wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, apologized to staff as they exited the eatery.
John’s Grill, opened in 1908, was famously used as a backdrop in Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.