CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Chesterfield food truck owner is speaking out after she says she was mistakenly linked to a controversial social media post about political commentator Charlie Kirk’s death.
Kristen Bortone, the owner of Kristen’s Kitchen, said the mix-up triggered an onslaught of online harassment and negative reviews that nearly derailed her plans to open a new restaurant.
For four years, she has been serving meals from her food truck and building a legacy for her family in the process.
“My 18-year-old is actually going to start working for me full time this year,” she said. “He wants to become like my assistant manager.”
That legacy is growing as Bortone and her family prepare to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“So makes me feel really proud. I love my kids. I want them to have a good life. I have worked really hard to have the life that I have now,” she said.
But earlier this week, that dream was nearly derailed.
“It’s been a roller coaster for the past 24 hours,” she said.
Bortone said dozens of strangers began flooding her business’s Facebook, Yelp and Google pages with negative reviews.
“I saw it, and at first I thought it was a joke," Bortone said. "I was like, there’s no way I’m getting a negative review about this. And then they just kept coming and coming in. And I’m like, I don’t know what’s happening.”
She said a Facebook post incorrectly identified her as a food truck owner from another state who had allegedly made disrespectful comments online about Charlie Kirk’s death.
“I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach," she said. "It was gut-wrenching, like I was crying.”
As friends and family stepped in to defend her, some reviewers admitted they had made a mistake.
“People are coming back and saying, I posted her a bad review yesterday without checking my facts. I was 100 percent wrong, and I apologize,” Bortone said.
Still, she said the damage had already been done.
“You know, like, you have no idea what your hateful comments could have done to me. It’s sad. It’s really sad," she said.
Despite the attacks, Bortone and her family are moving forward with their plans to open Kristen’s Kitchen as a full restaurant by early November. She believes that both loyal and new customers will come to see the truth for themselves.
“I think that through all the negativity, we’re going to get a lot more people to come see me," she said.
Bortone also hopes her experience sends a broader message.
“Please pay attention. Look at what you’re doing. Look at who you’re harming,” she said. “One instant act of anger almost destroyed me.”
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