Mike W.
Yelp
I was a regular customer since 2014, but on a recent visit one of the bartenders, James, tried to pressure me into buying a drink, threathening to kick me out if I didn't buy one "within 5 minutes" and telling me that "we're a business and we're here to make money."
I had stopped in for a few minutes on the way back to my car to listen to the karoake and watch the game on a Monday, when the place was nearly empty. Shortly after I arrived, James came over and very condescendingly told me that I had to buy a drink within 5 minutes or he would ask me to leave. He said, "I let you sit here for 30 minutes and we're a business and we're here to make money." His attitude was rude and condescending, like he was talking to a homeless person. I had been to Gym Bar numerous times, and one of the owners, Jesse, has always had friendly conversations with me, as has another bartender, Giovanni, and his partner. During the gay pride, the doorman didn't charge me cover because he "liked the way I looked." So, I was surprised to be threatened with being kicked out if I didn't buy a drink within 5 minutes.
During my 5 minute "grace period," I messaged the co-owner, Jesse, and asked him, "What's your bar's policy on requiring someone to buy a drink in order to sit in the bar? Because one of your employees, James, said that I had to buy a drink within 5 minutes or leave. Do you kick guys out if they are here watching a game on tv without drinking." Before Jesse replied, James came back over and said, "Ok, time for you to leave, I gave you five extra minutes!" I replied that I had messaged Jesse and was waiting to hear what the policy was, and told James that he should not be pressuring customers to buy drinks while they're here watching the game or the karoake. After I told him that I had messaged one of the owners, his attitude changed and he said, "Oh, I didn't know you were watching the game, and I've just never seen you here before. I'm just doing what I was told to do, so I'll wait to hear from Jesse and he can reprimand me if I was out of line." So his attitude went from acting like he was evicting some homeless squatter to actually speaking to a customer, but if he had any customer service skills to begin with, he would've been polite and courteous from the start.
I left shortly thereafter and then received a reply from Jesse to my inquiry:
"Yes, we do [kick customers out if they aren't drinking]. I've told my guys if someone is just hanging out and not drinking, to ask them to leave. We get a lot of looky-loos, and have found it keeps the bar a bit more wholesome. Not saying you're one, but there can be a lot of creeps that come in just to use the bathroom or not sit out on the street. This policy helps us avoid having those kinds of people in the bar."
I replied that I understand that, but it should be obvious that I'm not a homeless person or "creep" coming in just to "not sit out on the street." Threatening to kick guys out if they don't buy drinks within 5 minutes is just bad customer service, says that the bar is desperate for every little possible bit of money, and is disrespectful of the bar's role in the gay community as a place to socialize and meet people without being pressured into buying alcohol all the time. Sometimes I drink, sometimes I don't. I don't need a bartender telling me when I should drink or forcing me to buy a drink. Moreover, there were other customers who weren't drinking, who were watching the game, singing or watching karoake, or just socializing. In fact, there was a crazy looking old black guy with dreadlocks who actually did look homeless, drunkenly singing a karoake rap song that was full of expletives and nasty lyrics, and he wasn't asked to leave. How is that "wholesome"?
Just because a bartender "has never seen me here before" doesn't mean it's appropriate to tell me to buy or leave, especially in a condescending tone as if he were talking to a homeless person. If keeping "creeps" and homeless people out is the goal behind their policy, then telling someone that looks like me (basically the closest thing to an athlete or jock that this "sports bar" is ever going to see) to "buy or leave" isn't going to accomplish that policy goal. If the goal is to make money, by forcing every single last customer to buy a drink, then that's just going to anger and alienate customers, who won't return and won't bring others there either. It's cheap, greedy, and parasitic to try to force even the 0.1% of customers who don't have a drink in-hand to buy something or kick them out.
To top it off, instead of just apologizing, telling me that I'm a valued customer, and that he would educate his staff on how to politely and reasonably implement their policies, Jesse tried to justify his bartender's actions and make up excuses, then told me that if I wanted to "discuss this further" to email him and set up a meeting. Then he blocked me on Scruff. LOL! No time for that. I just won't ever go back.
