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| - Let me tell you a little story about this place...
Friday, October 20th, 2006
I invited ten of my co-workers from the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh to enjoy dinner and some good beer after work. At 1:00pm on Friday the 20th, I placed a reservation for ten people for 5:00pm. I would say that half of our group had been to the Sharp Edge numerous times before and knew only to expect a warm atmosphere and delectable beer. This view changed drastically by the end of our evening.
We had a wonderful time and everyone was enjoying their dinners and drinks. Our waitress was great and very attentive. Around 9:00pm half of our party left, leaving us money to pay their portion of the bill. Since our waitress had to go home for the night, our bill was closed out and promptly paid. Five of us remained behind. I decided it would be best to consolidate our tables into one table, freeing a table for anyone who may have been waiting for one. At this point, three of us had had 3 or 4 low-alcohol beers and two of us only had 1 or 2. We decided to stay longer and ordered another round. Our waitress returned to the table and informed us that we had been "cut-off." I laughed at first, thinking she was joking, but then became immediately confused. Our group started brainstorming, thinking of reasons why we would have been prevented from buying another round. None of us were intoxicated because we had been drinking and eating over a 4.5 hour period. We were behaving in a perfectly respectable and calm way, talking amongst ourselves. Nothing about our behavior was rude, obnoxious or sloppy. We did put some money into the jukebox and a couple of the girls sang along to Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again." That was the only reason we could think of for being cut off. A friend approached the bartender, whom she personally ordered her only 2 beers from that evening. When she asked for an explanation as to why we were cut off, he informed her that it was not his decision to cut us off, and that he was acting in accordance with a decision made by "management" and then walked away from her, refusing to speak further with her on the matter.
If singing to one song is any indication that you're drunk or visibly intoxicated, many others should have been cut off as well. We were completely offended by such a ridiculous and irrational accusation that was coming from some unknown source. "Management" had not shown his or her face by this point. If we were too loud, someone should have asked or even sternly warned us that we needed to keep it down. But no such warning ever took place. We could have theoretically sat there all night, singing and hanging out without any trouble. It was only after we asked for another round that anything was brought to our attention.
We decided then to ask the host to help explain how the decision to cut us off was made. The way the host responded to us can only be described as juvenile in nature. He told us that he was "management" and that we had been "sitting there too long". This seemed an odd defense as many regular patrons of your establishment often sit at the bar for hours and hours on end. He then told us that our reaction was typical of what he had learned in his "class". He insulted us by labeling us as "classified alcoholics" and then shook his head and simply said, "just leave". The fact that we were arguing with him only convinced him further that we were drunk. Any rational consumer would have been outraged by these accusations. If I was faced with such an unfair situation at the grocery store, I would argue in just the same way; it does not necessarily mean that I am drunk. He threatened at one point to call the police. Maybe that would have been good as we could have proven to him via breathalyzer testing that we were not drunk. Either way, this was a big blow to the dignities of several loyal patrons and several new patrons.
The Sharp Edge was one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. Almost being kicked-out for being there "too long" is an insult to me, an insult to you, and an insult to the entire community of beer connoisseurs in Pittsburgh. Those people in our group who had never been to the Sharp Edge before were shocked and offended. No matter how much I kept telling them that this experience was poles apart from what our typical experiences were, they could not accept the rationale. I can't blame them. I was much angrier than them due to my dedicated patronage to the Sharp Edge, not to mention that I constantly promote it on my own accord and bring people with me all the time (10 people that night).
After a year of boycotting the place, figuring that every good bar in Pittsburgh has a great selection of beer (especially D's Six Pax), I tried going back to the Sharp Edge. It welcomed me back. Though overpriced, I still found comfort in it's arms. At least that prick of a "manager" was gone... I'd like to think because of my letter... but then again, I am just a dreamer.
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