RRR 7/7

Thu, 6 Jan 2005

All right sports fans, I'm back from my almost one month hiatus!! So, two nights ago my friends Chris and Gary came into town and we were sitting around wondering what we should do about dinner. We finally came to the conclusion that Red Robin would be the spot to go since our good friend Becky was supposed to be managing and it would be nice to see her and our other friends. When we got to Red Robin at about 5:15 PM we noticed that our other good friend Paige was behind the refreshment center bartending, so we decided to go sit at the bartop and hang out with her. This was going well for awhile when all of a sudden the ginormous assistant manager Lori was standing right next to me, she didn't look too happy when she said, "So, you have the nerve to come in here and eat even after protesting?" I just turned back around and said, "yeah, what can I say, I love the fries." I could tell that things were going to be pretty icy between us, but she then turned he attention to Chris and Gary and began striking up slightly more cordial conversatinos with them about what was new in their lives.

She talked to them for awhile and then left and I thought that was the end of it, but then a couple minutes later I felt a tap on my right arm and there she was again. That's when she told me, "I'm going to try to be as polite about this as possible, but you are not welcome here, so finish up your fries pay for them and then leave." I was kind of shocked, not only because such a big girl had snuck up on me so stealthily twice, but also because I thought that was kind of ballsy for Lori. Paige later suggested that she probably went in and called Sabrina, the general manager, about what she should do about me sitting at the bar. Good call Paige. So there I was looking like a dumbass who just got kicked out of Red Robin, not knowing what to do because my friends had just ordered big beers so I basically just left and then came back 10 minutes later after Lori had left and my friend Becky had taken her spot. While I was gone I guess Lori took Paige into the office and told her that me sitting at the bar was a big "slap in the face" and that they should just all know from now on that I'm not welcome there. To which Paige reportedly responded that she wouldn't kick me out and did not want to get involved after which Lori responded that the next time I protested she would be calling the cops because I guess her boss, Stephanie, had been getting calls about my protest. WOW, I had no idea that going in to get some fries and some lemon water would cause such a big fuss, but oh well.

So it goes without saying that I HAD to continue my protest the next day, which is what I did yesterday from 6:08ish to 6:40. Chuck, one of the regulars at Red Robin, was walking by and told me that I should get a lawyer after I told him I was kicked out the night before, and then he asked if he could get a picture of me protesting so that he could give a copy of the picture to Lori. I was kind of surprised by Chuck's support because I guess I always just assumed that I annoyed him whenever he came in. I got a couple of honks for the short time I was out there and a girl that was looking for a job asked to hear my story and told me that she was planning on going in to apply for a job at RR. I told her it was lots of fun and that I would not be offended if she went in and got an application.

So that's the latest kids, I pretty much plan on picking up where I left off and plan on continuing being a pain in Red's ass. I just got done sending an email to corporate asking them what their policies are on kicking people out of the restaurant with a short summary of what happened to me. If they didn't know about what was going on before, then I guess they'll find out now. They said it should take about 2 days to reply, but I will keep you posted.

Cheers and Happy New Years all around,

Joe

RRR 6/7

Thu, 9 Dec 2004

Day six was pretty mild and uneventful. I got to my corner around 6:18ish and left by 6:54 because Elias came to hang out with me and we were getting bored and wanted to get some coffee.

I did have one guy roll down his window as he was turning the corner to tell me that "Life's not fair man." Eli and I just cheered as he went by.

And one of the regulars, Chuck, told me to "hang in there." I'll try Chuck, I'll try.

What do you calll cheese that isn't yours?

Joe

"Nacho Cheese"