SOUTHERN CHARM Leva Bonaparte’s Zachary’s Daiquiris flooded with racism accusations after grand opening
Bravo reality star Leva Bonaparte’s new establishment Zachary’s Daiquiris was flooded with racism accusations and negative reviews after it’s recent grand opening on Charleston’s famed King Street.
Keep reading to see what patrons are saying about the Southern Charm/Southern Hospitality restaurateur’s new frozen drink spot…
Zachary’s Daiquiris
Leva and Lamar Bonaparte are well known for their participation in hit reality shows like Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality, but their day-to-day jobs are owning several restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina. Bars like Bourbon & Bubbles and Republic Garden & Lounge have both been featured on television; Leva also runs the establishments Mesu and Lamar’s Sporting Club.
Zachary’s Daiquiris is Charleston’s newest hot spot from the Bonapartes. Cheekily called Zach’s Daiqs the drink local boasts ‘the cleanest, most refreshing daiquiris and a menu made fresh from scratch daily.’ Something else to note is that a portion of the proceeds from their business helps grant wishes for children with terminal illnesses.
Zachary’s Daiquiris negative reviews
In a Reddit post titled ‘Leva/Lamar’s new place “Zachary Daiquiris” cancelled on the first day‘ the OP shares screenshots of negative reviews and accusations flooding in against the Bonapartes after their big grand opening on February 28, 2024. According to those who have attended the new frozen drink bar, the bouncers only let certain clientele in.
From the Charleston Food & Beverage Facebook group, one fan immediately notes that the dress code targets ‘certain demographics’ by banning Jordan’s, ripped jeans, and other popular street styles. Another patron calls this ban ‘classless and tasteless.’
Leva/Lamar’s new place “Zachary Daiquiris” cancelled on the first day
byu/Turbulent_Cobbler463 insouthernhospitalitysc
This isn’t the only time Leva has been accused of racism… even though she was originally sent on Southern Charm to take down Kathryn Dennis’ ‘monkey-emoji’ and represent BIPOC women on the traditionally ‘white’ reality series, fans were quick to jump:
I got downvoted hard a few weeks ago when I said that Leva weaponises race to benefit her. She uses her Iranian heritage and black husband to shield herself from criticism but I’ve never been fooled by her. She’s awful. This doesn’t surprise me. Glad she’s finally being called out.
The wild thing is that in the 2020 season of Southern Charm, Leva talked to the white cast about how important it is to speak up when you see something like this because of their position of privilege.
This has been the accusation against basically all her locations, and my friend group also experienced it when I visited. They advertise “no Jordan’s” specifically by name on their website, but we went on like a Thursday night and got in fine. When we went the next night, my friend was stopped at the door and they refused to let him in with his sneakers, to the point he had to walk back to the hotel to change although he wore the same ones the night before. And we could see plenty of people wearing panda dunks for example so it felt very odd to specify “Jordan’s,” but mind you, my friend who was refused in was the only PoC of our group. And there were guys wearing jerseys in the place, lol.
Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality air Thursday nights on Bravo and Peacock.
Ashley Marie is a writer for Starcasm and the personality behind Twitter’s @RealityByAshley. You can contact Ashley via Twitter or email at realitybyashley@gmail.com
