Kansas GOP lawmakers banned from restaurant after drunkenly abusing staffers while dining with lobbyists

A group of high-ranking Republican lawmakers in Kansas have been given the boot from a Topeka restaurant, according to the Topeka Capital Journal.

"The owner of a downtown Topeka restaurant says he banned a group of high-ranking Kansas House Republicans and Statehouse lobbyists for being disrespectful to staff and other patrons while dining at the business," the paper reported.

"White Linen’s manager and owner describe a boisterous scene that intensified in response to directives to the 12-person crowd to be quiet and the manager’s decision to cut off the flow of alcohol to Rep. Blaine Finch, a Republican from Ottawa and speaker pro tem," they wrote.

There was a booze-fueled dust-up between staff and the lawmakers in the early evening hours of Feb. 27 after the party drank and ate at the restaurant, which is located near the capital, and some members in the party were also denied more alcohol after staff decided the group had had enough.

“They showed up and just started drinking and drinking and drinking,” White Linen restaurant owner Adam VanDonge told the Journal.

Per the report, others in the group of Republican lawmakers at the boozy affair included House Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe), Rep. Susan Concannon (R-Beloit), and lobbyists Dan Murray and Rachelle Colombo.

Cassidy Merriman, a manager at the restaurant, asked the group to "lower their voices" at one point, per the report.

"After she left the dining area, a server reported to her that a person in the group was obviously drunk and giving a toast to everyone in the restaurant," the Journal wrote.

"We want to ensure our guests, who are on their best behaviors, that we will enforce Kansas alcohol laws that require us to refuse to over serve individuals who are visibly intoxicated/incapacitated and, therefore, may not be on their best behaviors," the restaurant said in a post on their Facebook page. "We work diligently to make sure we uphold Kansas laws and that our guests have a great experience in the meantime," they added.

Read the full report here.