A North Dakota woman said she was asked to leave a local Chick-fil-A over the weekend after trying to breastfeed her infant child, according to USA Today .
The woman, Macy Hornung, publicized the incident in a Facebook post, in which she said she and her husband had taken her 7-month-old daughter to eat at the soft opening of a Fargo, North Dakota Chick-fil-A.
After attempting to nurse her daughter, the restaurant’s owner, Kimberly Flamm, approached the family’s table and began “harping” about Hornung breastfeeding in public.
“I was showing no more than the upper portion of my breast, barely more than what was visible in my shirt and [the owner] asked me to cover,” said Hornung.
After being told by Flamm that she would need to stop due to the presence of children in the restaurant, Hornung shared state laws that permit breastfeeding in all public spaces.
Hornung told Fargo local news station Valley News Live that Flamm was not moved by her citing of North Dakota law, saying that “she knew the laws” and would have to cover herself or leave.
After grabbing her and her family’s things, Hornung told Flamm that she would be sharing her experience “with every breastfeeding mother [she knows].”
Hornung’s Facebook post regarding the experience saw a high level of engagement, hitting over 1,100 shares.
https://www.facebook.com/macyallyn/posts/10156007869624441
After Valley News Live reached out to Flamm for comment, she apologized for the way she treated the family.
“My goal is to provide a warm and welcoming environment for all of my guests, and I sincerely apologize for the way I handled this situation,” said Flamm.
Flamm later also shared an apology on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Hornung told Valley News Live that she had nursed both her daughter and her son at numerous restaurants in the area without any issues in the past.
The North Dakota state legislature passed a law in 2009 protecting women’s right to breastfeed in “any location, public or private.”
In addition, the law also introduced “infant-friendly” designations for workplaces that provide support for breastfeeding mothers, including break times for nursing, places to store breast milk, and access to clean water to clean breast pump equipment.