Texas woman goes to bar with family. Then the restaurant kicks her out for breastfeeding in a ‘family establishment’

A Texas woman went to a bar in Celina, Texas. Then she said the bar asked her to leave because she was breastfeeding. 

Aura McCullough (@carnivoreaura) posted a video on TikTok that received more than 1.6 million views. In it, she said Nowhere Bar, a basement establishment with beers and burgers, told her she could not breastfeed her 5-month-old son in the establishment.

In turn, Nowhere Bar responded and said that they never asked McCullough to leave the establishment because she was breastfeeding.

What Happened at Nowhere Bar?

McCullough, her partner, and some friends visited Nowhere Bar for a Father’s Day celebration. While there, the content creator started breastfeeding her son. Then she said a staff member approached her and told her that she needed to “cover up.”

McCullough refused and asked if someone had specifically complained about them. She said the employee told her that they were watching the security cameras in the establishment. According to McCullough, they simply reiterated she “can’t do that.”

McCullough asked to speak to a manager, but the employee explained they were managing the establishment.

By that point, McCullough asked to cancel the order she had placed. The manager explained that the owner would front their tab. But according to McCullough, her group had to leave. 

McCullough posted a video of herself leaving the property. In it, she said that her family was the “only family” in Nowhere Bar during the incident. 

“Two couples and their 5-month-old babies got kicked out of this establishment on Father’s Day for breastfeeding,” McCullough wrote in her video’s caption.

Can Women Breastfeed in Public in Texas?

The Mary Sue previously covered a situation where a mineral hot springs employee in Dallas asked a breastfeeding mother not to pump while on company property. WorldSprings, the company involved, has since said that employees gave the woman incorrect information during her visit and has issued training for all of its staff. But the incident highlighted specific legislation in Texas that dictates that women can breastfeed in public spaces. 

As noted in the article, breastfeeding individuals generally have the right to express breast milk in public spaces. Health & Safety Code Section 165.001 says that “the legislature recognizes breast-feeding as the best method of infant nutrition.” Additionally, Rental Awareness notes that “Private property owners… cannot specifically discriminate against [individuals] for breastfeeding.”

@carnivoreaura @Nowhere Bar – Celina ♬ original sound – Aura McCullough

How Did Nowhere Bar Respond?

Nowhere Bar posted a video on Instagram and Facebook explaining its side of the story. Katie, one of the owners of the establishment, said, “To be direct, Nowhere Bar does not prohibit breastfeeding. We have never asked anybody to stop breastfeeding. We have never asked anybody to leave because they were breastfeeding and that has not and will not ever be our policy.” 

Katie said that the owners were not present during the interaction and were not watching the cameras during the incident. Everything the owners knew about the situation was reported to them by management, who was there during the encounter.

Katie said that a situation occurred where a young employee felt uncomfortable. The employee reported the situation to a manager and asked for assistance. Katie then said a miscommunication occurred and “escalated beyond what anyone intended.” Katie added that the bar had a responsibility to protect its employees, just as much as it had a responsibility to protect families. 

“We believe that everybody involved was acting in good faith,” Katie said. She also reiterated that no one was asked to leave because they were breastfeeding. She apologized for how it impacted the families involved, which presumably included McCullough.

How Did McCullough Respond to the Bar’s Statement?

Nowhere Bar has maintained that it did not ask McCullough to leave the property, but McCullough has publicly rejected the owner’s interpretation of the situation.

“I made a post about it because that was extremely humiliating and demoralizing,” McCullough said. “And since the owner has said that she didn’t kick me out for breastfeeding. She kicked me out because I had my breasts exposed for prolonged periods of time. She wants everyone to believe that a mother and a wife drove 30 minutes to a local burger joint to just hang with her [breasts] out.”

When a commenter said that the bar made a statement, McCullough said, “And it was [expletive]. I would love to know why they have yet to contact my family… [If] they’re so sorry I also wanna know if said young employee was made uncomfortable by the shirtless dad bod contest they hosted at their establishment before.”

The Mary Sue has reached out to Nowhere Bar via email, as well as McCullough via TikTok direct message.

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