The grand opening of a daiquiri bar in Charleston, South Carolina, owned by reality TV star Leva Bonaparte and her husband Lamar was blighted by allegations that surfaced on social media accusing the restaurant of enforcing a discriminatory dress code aimed at Black customers.
TikToker Sarah Baus first brought the accusations to light in a now-viral video detailing her experience when she visited Zachary’s Daiquiris on its opening night on Feb. 28.
Baus said she and her friends were at the bar’s opening party. As the restaurant prepared to open its doors to the public and a line started forming outside, one staff member walked out and announced that the bar’s dress code prohibits guests from wearing Jordans, ripped jeans, or athletic pants, prompting several Black men and other people to leave the line.
According to the bar’s website, the dress code enforced after 8 p.m. doesn’t allow guests to wear athletic apparel, gym attire, ripped/frayed/patched jeans, jerseys, graphic tees, tank tops, hoodies, or Crocs. The dress code does not name specific footwear or apparel brands.
Baus’s video garnered more than one million views on TikTok. After questions started surfacing online and one-star reviews began pouring in on Yelp and Google, Lamar Bonaparte released a lengthy statement denouncing accusations of racism.
“In the past few days, I have been asked to make a statement, apologize, and address outlandish allegations about my business on social media-allegations that are not only entirely false, but extremely harmful and discriminatory,” Bonaparte wrote on the bar’s official Instagram page. “To be accused of racial profiling by a non POC young Tik Toker is very 2025! For those who want to follow this ‘organized propaganda’ that we are a “White’s Only” establishment, please kindly KISS MY A**”
He continued, “I am a person that has experienced racism and acts of discrimination firsthand. This is a real F—K YOU moment. What saddens me the most about seeing these untruthful posts is the irony of it, the deepest and most dangerous form of racism.”
He maintained that Zachary’s Daiquiris did nothing wrong and pledged to block people online who continued spreading the accusations. He also denied making a second Google page to cover up the poor reviews on the original account. His wife and business partner, Leva, also shared the statement on her Instagram page.
Bonaparte, a Black restauranteur, leads a hospitality group that operates four other upscale dining establishments in downtown Charleston. The city is the backdrop for two Bravo reality television shows — “Southern Charm” and its spinoff “Southern Hospitality” — which star and feature Leva.
