I’ve been to some great restaurants and bars, and I’ve been so some really bad ones. I’ve had a good time going out with my wife and/or friends at bad places, and I’ve had bad experiences at otherwise-great establishments. Last night was a bad experience at a place I normally really like. If you follow me on Twitter (see the sidebar), you already know which place I’m talking about. If you don’t, let this serve as an example of customer service gone (horribly) wrong.

We’re currently hosting an exchange student from Japan. His name is Kenji, he’s 22, and he’s a really nice guy. He’s been to the US twice, his first stay with a family in Delaware. From his telling, they weren’t a really great host family for him. From before we met him, we wanted to be a fun, welcoming host family. Part of that, for us, was to show him all parts of our little town. From great food to fast food to visiting the local bars, we wanted to show him a wide range of what we have to offer here.

I play pool in a league.  We play at various bars around town.  This week, we were at a nice location, with pretty good food, so I planned on taking Kenji with me, as he likes billiards and wanted to see what American bars were like.  His introduction would be unique.

We arrived at about 6:45PM.  I introduced him to a couple of my teammates and went to the bar to rent a pool table and order something.  Kenji walked up with me, but said nothing so far.  The bartender, one I don’t remember seeing before, acknowledged my request and asked Kenji if he was “going to order something”.  He said yes, and she somewhat rudely asked him for an ID.  Kenji was a little confused, but I indicated that he needed to prove his birth date to them to be able to order alcohol.  After fumbling through his wallet and pulling out various identification cards, he had one that had his photo and birth date.

It was an ID from his home university.  The issue now was that it was not a government issued ID card.  They said they wouldn’t be able to accept it, and I understand that.  If they left it at that, I would have been frustrated, but would have understood their legal obligation to demand a government-issued photo ID (of course, she didn’t ask for my baby-faced ID).  She continued to tell us, rudely, that if he didn’t have proper ID that he would have to leave.  At this point, Kenji’s looking a little worried and embarrassed.  He tells me that he’s happy to not drink, but I have to explain that they’re saying he needs to leave.

A friend and teammate was there, listening to the whole situation unfold.  He asked if the manager was available to clarify things, since Kenji wanted to stay even if he couldn’t drink.  By this time I was trying to explain everything to Kenji, and apologize for what was happening.  I thought to myself “why didn’t I think to ask him to bring his passport?”  The manager, already briefed by the bartender, very plainly said that they wouldn’t accept his ID and that yes, he had to leave.

We walked back to where the rest of the team was sitting and I explained what had happened and that we were leaving.  I briefly introduced Kenji to the other people that had arrived, lamented the fact that we had to leave, and talked a bit about our plans for the rest of the evening.  I glanced over and saw the two bar staff watching us.  We stood and talked for a few minutes, but had gathered our belongings and were standing near the door, ready to leave.

I find out later that my friend asked to clarify their policy about allowing underage people to be in the bar at this time (any time before 9PM), since many of us routinely see kids and teenagers in there at all times of day and night.  They sarcastically asked if I was his father, despite already seeing (admittedly, only on a university ID) that he was an adult.

I also found out from later discussions my friends had, that the bartender and manager were monitoring us and were about to call the police to have us thrown out and/or arrested for trespassing.

At no point was I asked for ID, just a credit card to keep the pool table.  I (and many other people I’ve spoken with) rarely see the staff at this place card anyone.  At no point did Kenji or I ask for alcohol, though that was the eventual goal.  We left the place, upset that a fun night out was ended before it began.  Kenji felt bad, but I had to assure him that it wasn’t a big deal, that it shouldn’t have happened like that.  Sure, we should bring his passport next time, lesson learned.

Here are some possible ways this could have gone that would have been worlds better and wouldn’t drive me to rant about this to everyone I know:

1. (Ignore the law) Serve him, just like me, without checking for ID.
2. (Bend the law) See that his university ID has a legal birth date and serve him, despite not being government issued.
3. (Follow the law) Tell him he can’t drink, but let us stay and rack up a big tab on pool, food, and drinks for just me.

I’m disappointed in how it all went down, and I hope that everyone who is served or who serves others understands that you shouldn’t be rude to your customers.  At most, I can hope for an apology and a free polish sausage.  At least I know I can choose to not return to a place I have gone many times, and I can tell my friends this story so they know what kind of establishment they’re supporting.