Stephanie N.
Yelp
I absolutely love Roar and DeeDee's comeback is inspiring. I love frequenting this venue and I really feel at home when at Roar. I personally thank DeeDee for bringing back a space for the LGBTQAI+ community.
I just wanted to mention a few things that might save you some headache down the line. Two weeks ago, I sprained my ankle badly (grade 3 sprain) at Roar which resulted in the tearing of all the major tendons in my ankle. I will need physical therapy to work away the scar tissue. The goal is to regain functionality of my ankle again but my PCP is not entirely hopeful. This is, of course, my own fault for drinking and dancing--but I feel it's important to note the wet dance floor from spilled drinks. The orthopedic surgeon seems to think such a severe sprain wouldn't have happened with some "perfect storm" features in place.
Today (11/27/19) I went to Roar again (ankle taped up and in a cast lol) with some friends. The bartender near the corner by the stairs looked us over twice in a row. I'm not one to cry misogyny but it seemed like he was more concerned serving the men first. I can also admit that it's possible he wasn't sure where the areas of responsibility were drawn (since the bar is divided into sections by the bartenders). Either way, it totally sucked and made us feel rejected. When I finally ordered, I asked for two double vodka sodas. I could be wrong here, but I felt the drinks weren't doubles. Granted, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt here.
When I asked if he heard me correctly (asking for doubles), he said, "honey, I could just not serve you."
At 2:11AM EST, my group and I were waiting for an Uber. As you can imagine, Uber was backed up from demand. A woman in long straight black hair with bangs wearing a security shirt came over and asked how long our Uber would be. We said 12 minutes. She said, "well, that's too long, you're going to have to wait outside."
Honestly, this doesn't make any of us feel like the LGBTQAI+ community matters to this establishment. Two of my friends didn't have coats. I argued back and asked to wait inside. Eventually she agreed to let us stay until our ride came. Either way, the whole entirety of the bar was pushed outside and I felt it was pretty insensitive to push individuals outside.
To add insult to injury, the same security guard kept saying, "go home to your families! It's Thanksgiving!" And it's like...many of us in the community don't have families. That's why we're here.
PS I feel it is important to say Jimmy (bartender) came over and stuck up for us/helped make things right.
I also want to note another security guard with short hair showed incredible compassion and was asking everyone if they wanted to wait between the double doors to stay warm. I don't think she was on the clock, but carried herself as if she was familiar with the business. I truly appreciated her kindness, as did many others.
You do an immense amount for the LGBTQAI+ community and I truly appreciate it. I hope this feedback will help you foster a more trusting relationship with the community going forward. Thank you for everything you do.
