Season 2 of Southern Hospitality returned with the revelation that fan favorite Lucía Peña no longer works at Republic Bar & Garden. The owner, Leva Bonaparte, started coming down hard on her employees for drinking during shifts. A sudden enforcement of rules could seemingly catch staff off guard, and the single mother was the liability.
Mia Alario confronted Leva over the matter in the season premiere. She accused her boss of “hypocrisy” after being lax in Season 1 in enforcing the rules. Leva fired her mid-conversation. Though not via text message, as was the case with Lucía.
Lucía’s co-workers found out about her termination before she did
The duo exclusively spoke to The Messenger at a Bravo event for Southern Hospitality in Charleston, South Carolina last month about the way in which management at Republic chose to handle Lucia’s termination.
“We all knew that she got fired before she did … We texted her our condolences, and she was like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Mia revealed.
“I was reaching out to the Republic management, and then finally I received a phone call from Leva,” Lucía stated. She continued: “I felt like I had integrity in that moment … I knew what I did wrong, and I felt like I expressed that to people, and it went from a two-week suspension to a final termination, and it was just like, ‘what the hell happened now?'”
Procedural standards at Republic could use an overhaul. And Lucía pleaded her case “several” times across the season in an attempt to be re-hired. Throughout the new season, Lucía teased audiences will see her have “several conversations with Leva” to try and get her job back.
“You’ll have to tune in to find out how it all turns out and who was loyal and who stuck up for what was right on my behalf,” she revealed of the new season.
“I unfortunately know that I’m not going to be the first and last mother who was let go of a job. So I know that’s going to be relatable,” she added,
Indeed, Leva lauded her decision to “bring” Lucía back after going on maternity leave. It seems public opinion is squarely behind the former Republic employee.
Catch Southern Hospitality on Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY THAT LUCÍA WAS FIRED? WAS IT RIGHT THAT HER CO-WORKERS FOUND OUT FIRST? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MIA STEPPING IN? DO YOU THINK LEVA WILL GIVE LUCIA OR MIA THEIR JOBS BACK?
