Amber B.
Yelp
So, I really wanted to give this a few more days to process; but I think this situation has been completely brushed off and it truly upsets me. On Sat night, Nov 20th, a couple friends and myself decided to go to The Garage Brewery for some drinks. As someone who has worked in certain fields and has a general anxiety about people, I am always scanning a room. In the current place of the world, I am always super heightened about anything that could go wrong. As a mother, I am always aware of children; especially in a "bar setting".. I understand they use the term brewery, but it's a bar at that point. A man, and his what looks to be maybe a 5 year old daughter, walk in and it didn't seem like anything other than a dad and his daughter having an evening outing. He greeted people, as I assumed at this point, he was a regular. She skipped around and talked to folks as if she knew them too. I didn't think much of it... there was a pizza truck outside and I went to order. The pizza truck guy was walking around, looking for the man who ordered this pizza. He also had this 5 year old, with her father no where in site. Come to find out, this father ordered a pizza, gave this 5 year old the buzzer and told her to wait with the pizza truck guy. It was easily 40 or less degrees outside, she is a freaking 5 year old and HE LEFT HER WITH A STRANGER! So after about 5+ mins of watching this guy walk around with this little girl, my super overprotective mom mode jumps in to play. I asked the man if he knew the dad or little girl and he responds, "No, he just left her here and I can't find him anywhere.." So I proceed to take her inside to get warm and let the bartender know, "Hey, this guy ditched his daughter and is no where to be found!" She then asked her if her dad's name was whatever, and they she knows the man. Finally, after about 10+ mins of looking for the father, he walks up from the apartment complex behind the brewery, WITH AN EMPLOYEE of the brewery, and they are blasted. I get that smoking weed is legal in VA, but this was absurd. The pizza guy even confronted him and he stated, 'It's all good man." And winked at the pizza truck guy to brush it off. All while not being able to even stand straight. I asked the girl he walked up with if she was his girlfriend, because I was going to ream into her for being so stupid that they would leave a young child there to get high. I complained to management and thought it was handled. I messaged the owner the next day because it just didn't sit well with me. The whole thing made me feel very uneasy and I felt like I needed to do more. The response I got back was repulsive. The owner was telling me the employee felt so bad, and how I must have felt. NO LADY.. You do not get to tell me how I must have felt. You have a responsibility to the public as a "family friendly establishment" ... THIS IS NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. This man had clearly had to much, but since he is a regular, who cares right? Wrong. She also told me that she was made aware that the child was left in the car, WRONG. Her employee was very out of line and she completely discarded what really happened. I have multiple witnesses by the way. At that point I felt like I needed to calm down before I was going to rage on the owner and her lack of compassion for a very sensitive situation. This "parent" needs to not be served or allowed to have his child there. Meanwhile, I let them know twice about a situation and she accidentally text me, instead of her employee about another incident that occurred as well. Stating that I seemed to really be concentrating on this one comment this completely irresponsible employee made.. NO MAAM, what I am really focused on is the fact that your employee is so comfortable with letting a grown man abandon his daughter to go get high with your employee. Even off the clock they make you look REALLY BAD... AND THEN, you tell me how I must feel and completely disregard the safety fact. Do you know what its like to be raped? Because I do.. Could you imagine what being a 5 year old little girl who is kidnapped, sold and raped could feel like? No.. This isn't the first time this man and his child has been there. Your employees confirmed that. I do plan on seeing this through, in any way possible. I am sure this employee is just loving being back at the bar and hanging out like nothing ever happened.. But I will make sure that myself or anyone I can reach, never come either again either. Because this IS NOT a safe place for small children.