Complaint Review: Scotts Bar and Grill

Privacy concern. I complained at one point to the corporate office Restaurant's Unlimited about having beer spilled on me by one of the bartenders who never apologized and neither did any managers at Scotts Bar and Grill, and a day or so later one of the regular patrons at the bar turned to me and said "we don't want you here anymore, you complained about our BOYS."

Discimination, because I suffer from anxiety issues the growing hostility at this bar was aiming at me, I wanted to sit by the window. They interpreted this as me going after the head bartender who three years ago had targeted me, intoxicated me on the premisis after hours and harrassed me--even though I'd try to sit by the window regardless of which bartender was working that night. They never would have interpreted this had I been a man. And I feel my anxiety that the negative atmosphere there triggered in me, was not my fault. I would go outside or sit by the window to try to feel better--they assumed it was something it was not and I was eventually 86ed for something they assumed.

Harrassment, because during the end of my marriage and after caring for a man who had been very ill, I was emotionally very exhausted and in a depression and I confided to the head bartender after he had led me to think he was my friend, and one night he urged me to stay after hours, after the bar was shut and locked, and gave me shots on the house after 2am when it is no longer legal to serve liquor in WA State, to impair my judgement so he could pressure me into acts I would never have consented to had I then been sober. I wrote him notes after that asking him to please kindly explain his behavior, rather than ask him at this crowded bar where people would likely overhear and it might threaten his reputation or his marriage. So instead of finding a little time to explain himself to me, he went behind my back and gave my notes to his managers and worked to get them to believe I was after him, when he had gone after me, and the fact I needed to sit by the window was more of his proof of this, when I actually needed to sit by the window to help with my anxiety. After several years of being treated rudely by the regulars who knew this bartender wanted me out, and by other bartenders who thought I was after him, the management finally took me aside last May 2010 and told me I am no longer to write anyone notes (that's the first time I had ever been told writing the notes was bad--HE had never bothered to even tell me he had gotten the notes he had then given to his management). I was also then told I could no longer change seats at the bar once I sat down, even though everyone else could. And it didn't matter who was working that night--I was not allowed to change seats. Well a week later or so I ended up under the fan at a time I was trying to get over the flu. A seat opened up right next to me, and I moved over one seat to get away from the fan. I was given my first warning by this head bartender. I then, in the spirit of cooperation, went to his manager to nicely ask for clarification of these rules that only I had to follow--so I would not break them again. He said he'd have the General Manager Kirsten Irwin call me the next morning to explain. She called me the next morning and told me I was no longer welcome at this bar anymore where I had been loyally patronizing for years. I tried to tell her my side of the story, she cut in with a "I already KNOW everything." I tried to contact the corporation Restaurants Unlimited, and they threatened to file a harassment charge against me because i was complaining too much.

As far as I know this head bartender still works there and nothing has been done to assure that no other depressed or lonely women are not targeted by this man in teh future. That's the safety issues and Negligence causing Harm part of this. Unfair practices--the fact something was held against me for years that I didn't get to know about but had to endure an ever increasing hostile environment because of without knowing why, I was finally, after two years of enduring this so I could still see my friends at this bar, given only one warning--I broke the "rule" only once, and they told me I wasn't welcome back anymore for asking them to please clarify the rule so I wouldn't break it again.  

Poor customer service--that would be both Scotts and RUI for not caring about the emotional well being of a paying customer. I spent about $3000 a year at this restaurant because this is where my friends like to go and where my threatre goes after shows. I think my well being should have been a consideration. But when I tried to contact the CEO Scott Smith, no response.  When I tried to contact the regional manager for Scotts restaurant, Chris Legler, no response, when I wrote to Kirstin Irwin and tried to give her my side of the story that no one ever once asked me for, no response.  No one cares at Scotts or Restaurants Unlimited that this happened to me, and when i tried to give my side of the story, I was threatened and treated like I was in the wrong for being upset.   So basically the bottom line here is, if you are not one of the favored people at this restaurant, you can be in danger of having false accusations said behind your back and without your knowledge or any chance to defend yourself or explain yourself, have both staff and other customers hear these false accusations and then start treating you as if you're guilty of them, and you not knowing why...then if that doesn't make you want to leave on your own voluntarily, you can then be humiliated by having some manager call you and tell you you're not wanted there anymore, and then when you do try to then, finally, explain your side of the story, you get from her, "I already KNOW everything."

This company calls their customers "guests" for a very good reason.  Because guests are privileged to be allowed into their resaurants  to spend their money--they are tolerated, but they have little to no rights.  Customers, on the other hand, are something a restaurant is privileged to have whenever they are chosen as the place people want to go to spend their money--and customers do have rights.  Their welfare matters.  If they have a horrible experience(s) or unfair business practice(s) happen to them, the company gives a d**n.  This one though, not so much.