This place turned a great night into one of the worst experiences of my life.
I came to see my friend's band.
I opened a tab at the start of the night.
Throughout the night, I bought drinks on that tab several times- for me and for friends.
The bar literally ran out glasses, so they were giving out plastic cups that were about half the size. My friend asked if those drinks would be less expensive, and Vinnie said they wouldn't be. He came back a minute later and apologized, telling us that they actually were cheaper but this was only his second time bartending (at least at this bar). She had paid in cash, but he promised her a free drink. That was fine, but the first weird incident of the night.
When my friend's band finished, I went up to close my tab and they couldn't find my card.
I didn't think much of it- it was a little busy, so I said I'd check back in a few minutes.
I came back in about 15 minutes later. The bar was much calmer after the rush of people leaving when the music finished, but they still didn't have my card. I said I'd give them a few more minutes while we packed up the gear.
This is where things get really messed up. I know that crap happens sometimes, and I don't usually mind. If there is an honest mixup, I am really easy-going. What I care about is how the mistake is handled.
When I go up to the bar for the third time to see if they'd found my card (the bar is almost empty now) a different bartender is also there. She tells me "We don't have your card." She's a little aggressive, and she asks me if I'm sure I don't have it. She basically asks me to empty my pockets and wallet in front of her. She tells me that "...this just doesn't happen much here"
And that it I actually must have not opened a tab and just lost my card before I'd gotten there.
She also confides in me that another customer had a last name that was only 1 letter different than mine. At this point, I still feel like there is an honest mistake and I'm just trying to figure out what we do. I don't want to have to replace the card because that's a huge hassle.
She is still insisting that I never opened a tab. I say, "If I didn't open a tab, why did you keep giving me drinks whenever I came up, and why did you ask for my last name each time?"
It seems pretty obvious to me that this should be the big piece of evidence to prove that they'd possessed my card.
She says "I don't know what to tell you. What do you want me to do?"
I reply with, "Well, could I leave my name and number in case it shows up tomorrow?" and she tells me "No, we don't do that, and I don't appreciate you getting nasty with me"
This catches me off guard. I am calm and just trying to figure out what's going on. By now, it's after 2am. I had 3 drinks all night (But I'd bought rounds for other people), so I'm sober and collected.
She says something like "You should probably just go, we don't have your card and we don't have a record of you drinking here."
I'm pretty weirded out that she is so insistent that it must be my fault, so I walk back to my friend's table to make sure I wasn't crazy. They confirmed my story, which was that they were there when I opened my tab.
By now it's getting pretty late and I'm perplexed.
We're getting ready to leave, so I go up to the bar to ask for her information, but she isn't there. I'm talking to Vinnie, who has now backpedaled about whether or not he remembered me opening a tab ("I remember a red card, but I don't know if it was yours"). I ask him about the girl who had been talking to me, but he won't give me her information. This is weird, because she's the manager. She is supposed to be the one who deals with situations like this, and is supposed to be the one who has the public-facing information. Okay, whatever, I'll find her.
I turn around and she's walking up behind me.
I ask her for her name. She says, "Nikki."
"Is that with 2 K's? And what's your last name?"
"I'm not going to tell you that- why would I tell you that?"
"I thought you were the highest ranking person here. Are you the only Nikki?"
"Yeah, I'm the only one and I'm the manager and you need to get the fuck out of my bar" (She starts to yell toward the end of that)
As she is shouting this, she runs at me and starts hitting and pushing me.
Nikki is a lot smaller than me, but I certainly don't enjoy being assaulted.
I'm trying to walk out, but a bunch of people surround us (including a bouncer) and I'm just trying to leave, but they are constricting the narrow walkway.
Finally, as I'm getting outside it is just me, my friend, the bouncer, and two older women.
They apparently own the bar (So I was lied to) and try to make nice with me.
They keep trying to touch me, and I repeatedly ask them to stop.
One of them was actually nice, but obviously just trying to convince me not to leave a review of the situation or call the police.
I'm running out of space, but that's the gist of it.
They stole my card, assaulted me, lied to me, and ruined my night. read more
