My fiance and I just bought a couch and love seat for our new apartment. It was getting late on a friday night, and I was really hungry after a long day's work.in Pennsylvania, the restaurants stay packed on Friday nights, however being that it was a little late we expected to be seated a little sooner than if we hit the crowds.
As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I asked for a table for two in the smoking section. The hostess politely said that the smoking section was full but to feel free to sit at the bar so that we wouldn't have to wait. Normally, I don't go near bars for personal reasons, but I was so hungry and tired I didn't mind.
As soon as we sat down, I ordered a Coke (because I don't drink, once again for personal reasons) and my fiance ordered a beer. The bartender requested his ID and all was fine. We asked for two menus. We picked out what we wanted in a couple of minutes.
After about 15 minutes, I started to get a little antsy on why we weren't asked for our order. There were 2 bartenders on duty from what we saw. The bartender who was serving us was nowhere to be seen, however the other bartender was watching me the whole time I was sitting at the bar. I asked the man sitting next to me who was minding his own business while enjoying a couple of beers to please pass me an ashtray. He did so.
After I finished my cigarette, I took another sip out of my Coke (for a grand total of 5 sips). The bartender who had been eye-balling me the entired time casually walked up to me, looked me straight in the face while grabbing my Coke, replacing it with a fresh Coke and says, "We believe that one of these two men has put beer in your Coke. That is illegal. We are now kicking all three of you out of the bar."
In a state of complete humiliation, I knew I couldn't make a scene and ask the reason for her assumption because I thought that everybody would look at me and automatically think that I was some person just trying to get something for nothing (You know, the obnoxious people that get drunk and make a scene.)
After getting over the shock of the situation, I directly went to the hostess stand and requested to speak to a manager. After waiting 10 minutes for a manager to come to my attention, I calmly explained my situation stating that before the bartender rudely confiscated my Coca Cola and wrongly accused me, she did not ask for my ID. I included the fact that the other accused is a customer that was minding his own business. After explaining other details such as, "I don't drink, " the manager stated that "It's the bartender's job to kick somebody out of the bar that she believes has been drinking illegally." The manager didn't even apologize for the situation leaving me to feel that I was in the wrong for calling them on their mistake.
That's the bartender's job? My ID was never asked for, she made an assumption in which she threw away the evidence, and on top of that she was completely out of line by humiliating me, my fiance, and another customer who was minding his own business.
Feeling as though if I left, it would automtically make me guilty, I requested that we be seated in the restaurant. I walked back to the bar, told my fiance to pay for the Coke and the beer and that we were being reseated. The host then waited with our silverware, ready to lead us to our seat, while my fiance stood at the bar with his cash in his hand, obviously ready to pay for the drinks. Neither bartender would accept the money. Eventually one of them came over to him and said that the Coke was on the house. (Was this a way of saying 'We were wrong, '??) My fiance paid for the beer.
When we were seated, nobody wanted to serve us (as we all know how news spreads between employees in a restaurant). My filet mignon was butterflied (which I specifically request not to be done), burnt one one side (I requested medium rare), and cold. My ribs were tough and cold as well as my baked potato. My fiance's food was not appetizing either. The entire situation ruined both of our appetites. The manaer walked past our table several times, avoiding eye contact.
We paid for our bill and left. As we were leaving, we had a couple of snide comments from the back of us. It wasn't until 2 weeks later that a co-worker of mine told me that I had a case. She said that my case was so concrete that a lawyer may take it on pro bono. I don't agree with her. I've never sued anybody before or even thought of taking legal action. Who's to say that in the long run it would be the bartender's word against mine and my fiance's? I don't like being put in those situations.
The point is, I have never been so humiliated in my life. I was completely reasonable throughout the entire situation, however the manager and bartender chose to make me feel like the guilty party when I was not. Maybe next time, if this situation ever arrises again, I should advise the bartender and manager of a restaurant that I don't drink because my best friend was killed in a drunk driving incident, and the painful memories that they have caused me is means for a lawsuit.
0 comments