According to Gambit, which released the story after a six-month investigation, Vitter first met the waitress in 1990 and reportedly is named Sandy. A source with Gambit who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the story said:
“It all started in 2006 when Vitter and his family went out for dinner one Friday night and Sandy served them. For some reason, Vitter soon became one of Sandy’s lunch regulars when he was in town, asking for her by name, and didn’t want to be served by anyone else.”
The expose says Vitter would sometimes even bring his wife with him to eat at the restaurant, and on a few occasions, his children.
“That’s pretty brazen,” noted the source.
The restaurant had no comment on the matter, but Sandy confirmed Vitter was one of her regulars.
The alleged relationship ended abruptly in 2008.
When asked about this situation, Vitter said it was a personal matter and refused to comment further. The Vitter campaign, however, did release a short press statement after Gambit’s story broke:
“The Senator has several favorite places he likes to eat, including Sal & Carlo’s. The young lady in question is his Goddaughter, Sandy. She left the restaurant in 2008 to move to Texas and start college.”
The Gambit source said more than two dozen other waitresses and waiters in several states have contacted Gambit since the story broke, all claiming Vitter was very nice to them during a meal.
Several of those who contacted Gambit claimed Vitter would sometimes leave a larger than normal tip.
“He sometimes tipped as much as 25%, when 15% is typical. So money is involved,” stated a former waiter who said he had also served Vitter at another restaurant and requested to not be identified.
“Nice guy.”
We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.