Strange Brew
It is difficult to get a man to understand something
when his salary depends upon his not understanding it
--Upton Sinclair
Please, do not destroy my mood.
Tonight, I even like you
--Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
_______________
when his salary depends upon his not understanding it
--Upton Sinclair
Please, do not destroy my mood.
Tonight, I even like you
--Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
_______________
Ranger does not get the current economy, not even on the micro level.
He recently visited the Outer Banks Brewing Station, a microbrewrey in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., to imbibe at "America's first wind-powered brew pub" (www.obbrewing.com/), but was basically refused service as he was only there to drink the brewski. Specifically, he was "highly discouraged" from being seating by the hostess. This bud was not for you.
Some particulars are in order: It was 8:30, and the joint was 75% empty. It was not as though there would be a late night theatre crowd thronging the place between then and 11 p.m. Ranger was properly attired and clean, as was his companion (amongst clientele which could be best described as adhering to Beach-Zhlub etiquette.)
He was prepared to lay out a Jackson or so on he and his companion, but was informed by the attendant that he could not be seated due to his liquid only preference, and instead was directed toward the smoky, dark-assed bar portion of the restaurant, filled completely with men watching people running a piece of pigskin up and down a field. Ranger no longer frequents bars, nor does he voluntarily suck cigarette smoke into his lungs.
He repeated his seating preference, and was again, "highly discouraged." Why would any tourist area restaurant turn away business?
Ranger gets mean when bars turn him away, Ranger mean. Fortunately like gunfighter Mundy, I'm not like that anymore. Most of the time.
He recently visited the Outer Banks Brewing Station, a microbrewrey in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., to imbibe at "America's first wind-powered brew pub" (www.obbrewing.com/), but was basically refused service as he was only there to drink the brewski. Specifically, he was "highly discouraged" from being seating by the hostess. This bud was not for you.
Some particulars are in order: It was 8:30, and the joint was 75% empty. It was not as though there would be a late night theatre crowd thronging the place between then and 11 p.m. Ranger was properly attired and clean, as was his companion (amongst clientele which could be best described as adhering to Beach-Zhlub etiquette.)
He was prepared to lay out a Jackson or so on he and his companion, but was informed by the attendant that he could not be seated due to his liquid only preference, and instead was directed toward the smoky, dark-assed bar portion of the restaurant, filled completely with men watching people running a piece of pigskin up and down a field. Ranger no longer frequents bars, nor does he voluntarily suck cigarette smoke into his lungs.
He repeated his seating preference, and was again, "highly discouraged." Why would any tourist area restaurant turn away business?
Ranger gets mean when bars turn him away, Ranger mean. Fortunately like gunfighter Mundy, I'm not like that anymore. Most of the time.
Labels: bad brew, freaky business model, microbrewery, outer banks brewing station, www.obbrewing.com/
posted by rangeragainstwar at 6:38 PM
14 Comments:
We can wish, in any event, that their wind generator's prop runs amuck, removes the owner's legs, disfigures his mistress, takes the tits off the hostess, destroys the brewery, and seriously injures one legally connected client who then sues said owner directly into homelessness.
May you receive more satisfactory service in other venues.
Hey...
Like art following reality or is it vicey-versa?
Y'all stepped into some kinda time warp created by that low level hum from the spinning of the turbine blades, entered that bar scene from that Star Wars movie.
"We don't want your kind in here."
White people don't want to work. Don't want them that do work to come here either.
It's ok, I suppose. We don't make anything here anymore any way.
Mexican kids will meet you on the street and take you by the hand into they mama's kitchen where you'll be welcomed as family to a cold beer and a hot meal.
My Granddaddy..
wouldn't know what to make of this state of affairs.
"Let her buck."
D.
SC,
The last time i went across the border at Agua Prieta/Douglas we went to a restaurant and ordered steaks. After about 5 beers we asked where our steaks were and the reply was-We sent a car up to Douglas to buy some for you.!!
Sure enuf a old pontiac drove up and hand delivered our supper
We should lesarn from that , but we don't.
jim
Odd as hell.
We have more than our share of brewpubs here, and I've never seen one which didn't have a "bar" in the seating area...or one that asked you beforehand whether you were there to drink or eat. You want a table, you get a table. You want a barstool, you get a barstool.
Having said that, I recall North Carolina having some of the nation's most arcane drinking laws back in the 1980s when I was posted there. Dry counties, wet counties, counties where you could buy booze but not drink in public (i.e. "off license" stores but no "on license" bars). One of the weirdest was (I think) in Dunn, where the waitress had to carry my drink when I moved from the bar to a table, because it was illegal to walk around with a drink in your hand. Even. In. A. Bar.
WTF?
North Carolina is weird. Period.
Chief,
My disconnect was that in todays economy a business just shouldn't turn away a drinking/paying customer, and especially not a drunk.
jim
Chief may have the key. Some pretty weird booze laws in Carolina, county by county and even city by city within the same county had different regs. As I recall, brown-bag clubs in Onslow county outside Camp Lejeune had different rules depending on which township you were in.
And some townships were drier than dust, no beer halls, no brown bag clubs, not a bottle of Red Rooster in the local grocery. Some townships even had the chops to ban state run ABC liquor stores.
Lots of compromises were made between the local preachers, politicians, and wannabee saloon kingpins. Sometimes the local preacher held the power - sometimes the kingpins.
OBBS should lobby locally and hard to compromise or bend the rules.
Mike and Chief,
Remember this is a toutist trap area and the laws would be more liberal.
My sense was that they didn't want drinkers tying up a table b/c they would make more profit from dinner types. This is logical and correct
EXCEPT the fucking restaurant was only 25% filled. I always rail at inflexible arbitrary rules , even in a restaurant.
jim
I think a pool should be started on the date the doors are locked by the Sherriff. All money collected should be able get Jim some were they understand $ for cold few with a friend.
jo6pac
jeg43 we only hope
Thanks for the Laugh
whiskey bar.....
Hi, Jo. Hope you're still enjoying Mr. Gray's wine bar.
GD:
You've never been better :)
I agree that their attitude was thoroughly weird. I've NEVER had a brewpub in Oregon or Washington even ask me whether I was eating or drinking. Or have an issue if I asked for a table and then just had a brew.
We always seem to assume that just because people manage to start a business means that they understand how to run one. These people seem to have an f-ed up idea of how to make money in the booze business.
Chief,
You and the others have been most kind.
However it must be said in the interest of journalistic integrity that Ranger sports a mildly psychotic edge which, though thoroughly under wraps -- and something which even might be appealing on the West Coast -- might, to a good North Carolinian hostess, be enough to have her hope that he'd move along smartly.
I would think in the hard cider areas, in the hollers, he would be quite welcome.
Yes Lisa I try and get by there now and then. I visit to many P & $ sites and some time forget about Fun. I did pass it along to friends and they enjoy it. Well wriiten and seems to like the same things I like in Wine.
jo6pac
Mr. Gray was a sportswriter first (and a Ramones fan), which explains his lack of pretension in an otherwise snooty business.
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