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cathistorylesson t1_itv3cmr wrote

Please note that Joe’s Inn Bon Air has zero affiliation with the fan one other than the same name.

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fusion260 t1_itv3dor wrote

I mean, I've seen people of all colors have bad service there regardless of how busy or empty it was. I've also seen people of all colors have great service there regardless of how busy or empty it was. (I've had both good and bad experiences myself there and I'm white.)

A customer review about having a poor experience (without including blatantly racist actions by the staff) isn't going to do much. Dude had a bad experience and the review sounds like they're inferring the staff was racist.

But, yeah, unless Joe Innskeeper (who doesn't exist, OG owner's name is Nick) makes a public social media post that objectively riles people up and doubles/triples down on it without apologizing or toning it down, while currently owning and repping for Joe's Inn, it's definitely not the same thing as Ajay Brewer and Brewer's Cafe.

Edit: grammar and context

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RVA_GitR t1_itv631v wrote

As a white dude, my service has also been fucking terrible at the Bon Air location.

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BurkeyTurger t1_itv6jrz wrote

Joe's Out is the way to go IMO. Food is good for the price but service always seems to be slow both now and before COVID.

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pomaj46809 t1_itv3k70 wrote

"Excuse me, I haven't been helped yet!"

It sounds like whoever was covering that table fucked up and didn't know you were there and you didn't bother asking for service and then left.

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fusion260 t1_itv3ts8 wrote

That was my first thought. In the whole thing, the not-customer never sounded like they even tried to get someone to realize they hadn't been helped. They just sat there quietly while internalizing what they thought was happening and left without saying anything.

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gleepgloopgleepgloop t1_itv8tg0 wrote

This happened to me (white) twice within the past week.

In the first case, a local tavern in the 'burbs seemed overwhelmed and understaffed. My partner and I just left our table and went to a nearby, nearly identical place and had great service.

The second time was with a friend at a busy watering hole in the Fan. After a good long while, I politely let the hostess know we were still waiting for a server. We were taken care of promptly with lots of apologies that the servers made an error about who had the table and we had good service.

I didn't make any assumptions about it being due to any of my individual characteristics. I know racism exists and hope that wasn't what happened to the guy referenced by OP.

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e1_duder t1_itv9519 wrote

> a local tavern in the 'burbs seemed overwhelmed and understaffed.

The Galley?

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gleepgloopgleepgloop t1_itva5pc wrote

Nah. I'm sure there are many, though. This is a place that usually has decent service, so I didn't want to call them out. My impression of the place is that when they are fully staffed and it isn't too busy they do great, but management has a tough time keeping things moving and the servers focused when things get busy.

I will give a shout out to the place we ended up at, Industrial Taphouse (Hanover/Atlee/Ashland). Excellent burger, cold beer, and really solid service.

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DontSwimnJamesRiver t1_itvfdjw wrote

Exactly, just go to the bar and say "no one's come by our table yet, can you take our order?"

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coconut_sorbet t1_itv6j7y wrote

Popcorn grabbed, but this is absolutely nothing like the Brewer's Cafe situation.

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FanDweller t1_itv5exi wrote

10 minutes “or so” waiting to be served is pretty typical for Richmond. Not sure how that causes “shock and disappointment”.

But go ahead and play the racist card, I guess. 🤡

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ExtremeHobo t1_itzfuop wrote

I had to wait almost 20 minutes last night at El Pope before receiving any service or water. It was severely understaffed so I really felt like the lone waiter/bartender was the victim and not me.

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Similar-Effort t1_itvguwy wrote

This isn’t similar to the Brewer situation at all. The thing that keeps missing people is it’s not his statement in June that tanked the business it was already struggling for months before he made the statement this just put the nail in the coffin.

Also most people had forgotten about the whole situation within two weeks after he made his initial statement. The negative reviews on any social media or review site were taken down and his rating went back up to 4.5.The only time it came back up again is when he brought it back up especially when he was going on conservative radio shows and doing articles and interviews with Fox News. The go fund me that he set up did not even mention the backlash but instead referred to the fact that they change locations in 2021 and the clientele did not follow.

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fusion260 t1_itvkmk9 wrote

This is the correct take, IMHO.

Whatever damage the review-bombing did was quickly canceled out automatically once Yelp and FB and other review sites detected brigading.

Ajay and Brewer's Cafe's business wasn't "canceled" over Ajay's pro-life views or conservative leanings. Richmond City didn't revoke any licenses or threaten eviction—at least not as far as I know.

But that incident months ago did cause people to become keenly aware of Ajay's troubling past posts and how he reacts to legitimate feedback and concerns: by blaming everyone but himself while essentially calling himself GOAT. His staff's resignations immediately and shortly after, including allegations by a past employee over inappropriate remarks by an employer, absolutely didn't help matters.

Ultimately, all of that is what caused people to reconsider whether Ajay and Brewer's Cafe was worth supporting and patronizing. It turned out they'd rather go somewhere else.

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Similar-Effort t1_itvpkox wrote

Completely agree. Also he did receive multiple evictions notices according to him. They were at the business and then also at his home. If I understand correctly if he was receiving eviction notices that means that the bills hadn’t been paid in well over five or six months.

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DontSwimnJamesRiver t1_itvf8ip wrote

Not to dismiss this, but I worked in the industry for 6 years as a server in my teens and early 20s. I have forgotten to greet tables, and even after taking an order and greeting a table I forgot to send their order after 45 minutes. I was terrible, and while this could be a potential, I don't think suggesting shutting down the restaurant because of an isolated incident solves the problem here. Talk to a manager first, and allow the restaurant to resolve the problem for you. This is how it usually works.

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panthian t1_itvwje2 wrote

I have similar experiences a lot of places I go, too. My food arrives wrong or not at all. Sometimes I get overcharged. I'm white and people stare at me and don't acknowledge me at restaurants. I'm not really complaining. I've just accepted I'm cursed. I usually tip well, because issues are generally taken care of in a satisfactory way. I guarantee most waitstaff are not bigoted enough to ignore potential money.

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stickynohte t1_itv9xms wrote

Honestly sounds like the waitstaff is the issue, not necessarily the establishment.

Could’ve even been in a specific server’s section who was otherwise occupied (addressing a discrepancy in the kitchen, dealing with a table who’s asking 400 questions, etc.) and their coworkers didn’t address the table to inform them of this or try to help out. Again, bad server issue, then.

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skeevy-stevie t1_itv81sb wrote

I actually went to Joe’s Inn for the first time this week and unknowingly walked into the non bar side, read the seat your self sign and sat down. It took a while for someone to come over and I thought it was weird there were other workers standing around, or doing something.

Unrelated, I said to myself, “I could’ve swore this was a bar, where do they keep/pour all these drafts from this draft list?”. I put my to go order in, with a beer for while I wait and after awkwardly sitting there waiting and staring at the gigantic draft list, still thinking I could’ve sworn this place was a bar, I asked the server if there was a bar on the other side. She laughed, said yes and I found where I wanted to be.

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ScottRVA t1_ity4t01 wrote

One reality I have come to acknowledge is that as a suddenly old (white) guy, no one sees me anymore. Most people look right through me

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magmoosma t1_itwxkqb wrote

Kinda wild how many self-identified white folks are saying this isn’t a big deal, I get shitty service sometimes, Joe’s Inn sucks, etc. while missing the underlying point in the review. That is, we will never appreciate how psychologically, emotionally, & physically draining racism is. To be subjected to it—repeatedly—across contexts and social situations is devastating. It turns what COULD have been a bad service experience into “okay, this space might not be safe”. It is national, never-ending PTSD for Black Americans. Shit, our monuments to racist 2nd place finishers only just came down!

Just read the review, sit with your thoughts, and either keep quiet or reflect on why you reacted that way. ✌️

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