This was one of the more astonishing displays of hostility I've experienced from a local business, particularly toward a group of locals who were simply trying to support one.
A friend called Whitecaps ahead of time to plan an impromptu, casual surprise gathering for her husband. She explained that roughly 24 people might stop by the bar over the course of the evening, more of an open house than a group arriving together expecting to be seated and served. She was told it was first come, first served and to simply get there early.
Another friend and I arrived first and stood off to the side waiting for bar seats. The bartender rather rudely told us we could wait, but made a point of saying it would be a very long time before anything opened up. We said no problem, we were perfectly happy to wait, and mentioned that more friends would eventually be joining us.
Ironically, two people got up almost immediately, so we took their seats. The moment the bartender heard the eventual size of our group, her demeanor changed completely. She told us, in no uncertain terms, that they absolutely would not accommodate that many people. I explained that our friend had specifically called ahead, explained what she was planning and had been told it would be fine. Rather than attempting to sort out what was clearly a miscommunication on their end, she became even more unpleasant.
For the sake of fairness, a second bartender came on shift shortly afterward and could not have been nicer. She was warm, gracious and professional.
Thinking there had simply been a misunderstanding, I went downstairs to speak with a manager. Instead of any attempt to clarify what had happened, the man I spoke with was immediately angry, confrontational and remarkably unprofessional. When I asked whether another manager might have spoken with our friend, he snapped, "I'm the owner." He was visibly shaking with anger and made it abundantly clear that our group was not welcome.
And apparently he meant it. As friends began arriving, they were actually stopped at the entrance and told they weren't even allowed upstairs to the bar.
To be clear, this was approximately 25 locals expecting no reserved area, no special treatment and no coordinated service. We were perfectly happy to wait for space and order food and drinks as we could. Had someone simply explained there had been a misunderstanding and they couldn't handle a group that size, we would have understood completely.
Instead, between the first bartender's rudeness and the owner's hostility, we were treated with outright disdain, as though our business was beneath them. The arrogance and complete lack of professionalism were staggering.
Our host called Spindleshanks down the road, who was happy to welcome our group on essentially no notice. We all left, had a great evening and spent several thousand dollars there that night, revenue Whitecaps quite literally chased out the door.
It's an interesting way to run a business in a seasonal community where local support matters enormously once the summer crowds disappear. October and November always come, and locals remember which businesses value their patronage.
Now that Rosewood Pizza is open, with equally good pizza and, in my opinion, a far better atmosphere, I know exactly where I'll be taking my business.
Whitecaps didn't lose my business because they couldn't accommodate 25 people. They lost it because of how they treated 25 people after their own staff had already told us to come. read more