I visited this place on Friday, May 1, with a friend who is a frequent customer. Overall, I enjoyed…read morethe atmosphere and was having a good experience until the end of the night.
My friend had already told me she would be covering my drinks, so when I was handed a separate $31 bill as I was leaving, I simply asked for clarification. I was not rude, argumentative, or hostile -- I only wanted to understand why I was being charged separately when my friend had been ordering the drinks and also had her own bill.
At that point, the bartender/barback, Tim, became extremely aggressive and confrontational. He repeatedly and very loudly slammed his hand on the bar next to where I was standing and yelled at me to leave, saying the bar was closed, even though closing time was still 2 AM. There was absolutely no reason for the interaction to escalate the way it did.
As a smaller woman (5'2"), I felt genuinely intimidated by the situation. Tim is a much larger man, and his behavior -- pounding on the bar, yelling, waving his hands, and speaking negatively about me to other customers -- made me feel unsafe and embarrassed in front of the entire bar. I honestly feared the situation might become physical.
To be clear, I never refused to pay. I paid immediately once the charge was explained. I did not threaten anyone, become hostile, or cause a scene. I simply stated that there was no reason to treat me that way. Because I felt unsafe, I pulled out my phone and recorded part of the interaction. I do have a video showing him continuing to wave his arms and yell at me to "get out" while I was saying goodbye to my friend, who witnessed the entire incident.
What upset me most was not the bill itself, but the level of intimidation and disrespect I experienced over a simple question. The business can review its security footage, as the entire interaction should be on camera.
For context, I bartended for 20 years myself, so I fully understand how difficult customers can sometimes be. Even with that experience, I would never treat a patron the way I was treated that night -- especially someone calmly asking about a charge. Based on this experience, I will not be returning.
I am hoping management addresses this situation appropriately because behavior like this creates an environment that does not feel safe or welcoming for customers, particularly women. BTW, I did contact their Facebook page and have yet to receive a response.
