WASHINGTON _ The upscale Italian restaurant Fiola will hire security guards after protesters confronted Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife while dining at the restaurant last week.
"We are now living in the aftermath of this PR disaster," the owner said in an email to customers.
On Sept. 24, Cruz and his wife, Heidi Cruz, were chased out by about a dozen protesters regarding the Texas senator's support of embattled Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
In the email sent last weekend, owner and chef Fabio Trabocchi said the restaurant had to temporarily take down social media accounts because of hateful comments, and reservation lines were inundated with callers taunting staff and threatening to destroy the restaurant. The email said Trabocchi and his wife, Maria Font Trabocchi, have personally received death threats.
"We would have never thought such a thing was possible in the restaurant business," the email said.
In addition to extra security, staffers will be retrained to avoid similar instances and encouraged customers to keep coming to Fiola's because it "will emerge from this challenge quickly."
Video clips of the confrontation were posted on Twitter by an account called "SmachRacismDC." The various clips show a protester demanding to know what Cruz thought of the allegations and the group chanting, "We believe survivors!"
Members of the group told The Washington Post that they had been tipped off to the Cruzes' reservation that evening and sat at Fiola's bar for more than an hour awaiting his arrival.
Maria Trabocchi tweeted that the Cruzes later returned that night to finish their meals.
"It was an honor to welcome back @SenTedCruz and his wife to @fioladc on Monday evening. After a brief interruption by protesters and after police arrived, Mr. & Mrs. Cruz were able to finish their full meal. Proud of my team."
A few days after the incident, Fabio Trabocchi released a statement saying how proud he was of his staff for handling the situation and the threats thrown at them.
"They have shown remarkable grit and calm," Trabocchi said. "It is scary to hear anger directed at you and those you love."
He went on to say that security consultants and investigators were working to implement additional safety measures for the five restaurants the Trabocchis own.
Cruz's Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, said the senator and his family should be able to dine out in peace.
Cruz himself initially declined to talk about the incident. But stumping on Saturday in Washington County, Texas, near Brenham, he joked that if supporters are looking for a "nice, quiet romantic dinner in Washington," he has some recommendations.
Speaking with the Houston ABC affiliate about the Kavanaugh nomination and the protest, he said, "This is a deeply divided time, and this is contributing to that, but in the wake of the 2016 election, we've seen viciousness and hatred. ... My wife and I were targeted by protesters this week in Washington when we went out to dinner."
