Leva Bonaparte released a statement after her and her husband Lamar Bonaparte‘s new bar, Zachary’s Daiquiris, was accused of discriminating against Black men.
Following the sharing of several poor reviews against the venue, many of which discussed its alleged “new dress code,” which seemingly came in direct response to a group of Black men who attended the bar’s opening, the 45-year-old star of Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality clapped back, labeling the claims as “false” and “harmful.”
“We came as part of the opening night event and were very excited to try this new restaurant/bar out but unfortunately we will not be returning,” a man named Joseph Bass wrote in a Google review that has since been shared on Reddit.
“After we got our drinks and sat at a table outside the bouncer came out and stood directly next to a group of black men and informed the line that there was now a ‘new’ dress code that prohibited ripped jeans, athletic wear and Jordans which all of the men were wearing,” he alleged. “After seeing the outfits that were allowed in previously it was obvious that there was no dress code but this was a move made to prohibit certain groups of people into the restaurant. We confronted the bouncer who made the comment and were told that it was a comment from management. Very disappointing.”
In response to the review, a number of other Google users weighed in, proclaiming that they would not be visiting Leva and Lamar’s newest spot.
“A ‘new’ dress code prohibiting Jordans? Ew,” one person stated. “Classless and distasteful business. I never owned a pair but you won’t be getting my money or business.”
“Yikes I was really looking forward to visiting, since we lost [Wet] Willie’s a while ago, but I must say I am a person of color and I refuse to spend my coins where we are not accepted. Oh well,” shared another.
“Dress code for some daiquiris? Definitely targeted towards a certain demographic if you ask me,” a third agreed.
Meanwhile, in a video shared by Positively Uncensored on TikTok, a woman encouraged her followers to “skip” Zachary’s Daiquiris and suggested Leva should be fired from Southern Hospitality.
“[Leva] opened up a new restaurant/bar in Charleston, South Carolina and basically has discriminating rules as far as dress code goes,” the woman stated, adding that the bar had been “canceled within a day.”
She then alleged that Leva had either paid for a service to submit a dozen new five-star reviews or gone through her contact list and asked for reviews.
”There are tons of new reviews that are fives stars. There are 11 new reviews that appear to either be fake or, I don’t know, begged for,” she explained.
According to the report, Leva and Lamar’s business had a 3.3-star review with 21 total submissions.
Amid the social media controversy, Lamar shared an “urgent” statement on Zachary’s Daiquiris’ official Instagram page, along with a video taken during its opening.
“This is the first and last time you’ll hear from me on social media … I live in the real world and I deal with real people. I am a NATIVE of Charleston, SC and I love this city. 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,” he began, going on to describe the opening as “full of happiness, celebration [and] enjoyment” that was had “by all walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, and genders.”
“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.”
“To attempt to take a local business down over TikTok gossip is appalling,” he added. “And no, this isn’t an apology because we did nothing wrong. We have a dress code and it’s enforced AFTER 8 PM. If you don’t like the way we do business, DON’T COME.”
Leva shared a similar message on her Instagram Story.
Leva then reacted to TikTok user Sarah Baus, who had also spoken of the restaurant’s “new dress code” in a video shared earlier this week and seemed to be the wife of the original Google reviewer.
“[The bouncer] stops next to the one group of black men, stops next to them, doesn’t look at them, but stops next to them. That’s where she makes the announcement: No Jordans, no ripped jeans, no athletic pants, describing this group of men,” she explained.
According to Sarah, the men promptly left the bar and “half the line diminished with them,” and not because they fit that description.
“We’re like, ‘There’s no way that we just witnessed that, but we’re certainly not gonna support a business that does that,’” she recalled, also stating that the dress code was said to have been imparted by “upper management.”
Sarah then alleged that her husband’s review had been removed from Google — and that a new Google account for Zachary’s Daiquiris had been launched.
In response to Sarah’s account, Leva reposted a message accusing her of “lying” about the venue and doing so in an effort “to go viral.”
Southern Charm season 10 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo, and Southern Hospitality season two airs immediately after, at 9/8c.
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