How to Poison a Well
This is something I want to share with you guys, especially those planning to hike next year.
Last night, I went into a favorite local restaurant/bar, long known to be very hiker friendly. I ran into a friend who's worked there for several years; in the process, she's met and served hundreds of hikers.
A few nights ago, seems there was a large group of close to a dozen hikers who filled up her section. They took up several tables, were a little loud, and naturally stank up the joint, but neither she nor anyone else much cared; as I said, this is a very hiker-friendly place (Anywhere that lets you come in off the street fresh off the Trail WEARING your backpack obviously doesn't have a problem with hikers).
Everyone was having a fine time until it became known to the bar staff that one of the hikers had an expired I.D. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the law, this means it could NOT be used for identification purposes or to buy a drink. I know it sound like a crazy law, after all, it wasn't fake, it was merely out-of-date. But that's one of the things New Hampshire is strict about.....if it's expired, it ceases to be valid, and that's that. Also, being a college town, establishments get spot-checked all the time, i.e. an undercover cop or a State Liquor Inspector will enter a place, flash his badge, and randomly do an I.D. check. Underage patrons, or those with bad I.D.'s can get arrested or fined, but more to the point, so will the restaurant, and SO WILL THE SERVER. In short, some of the places in Hanover have gotten very strict about making sure your I.D. is legit, and they will absolutely not serve you if there's a problem with it. After all, would you risk a $1,000.00 fine for a stranger? No, I didn't think so.
Anyway, this kid had an expired license, and while he whined about it while the law was being explained, it wasn't a real problem. They told him he could still say with his friends as long as he didn't drink. They'd have been perfectly within their rights to say he couldn't legally be in the barroom, but they didn't do this. Instead, they relied on his word.
Big mistake. He was caught drinking out of other people's glasses, and was given a polite warning, in fact more than one. Around the third time this happened, he was told that he had to leave restaurant. He did, after cursing out the waitress and flipping her off. Needless to say, his friends did little or nothing in the way of intervention.
One would think the remainder of the group would have been apologetic, especially since it was their flouting of the rules (slipping him drinks) that had helped get him thrown out in the first place.
Nope.
When the group left, only a handful of them tipped (mainly an older couple); the rest left little or nothing, including several, who on the "Tip" section of their credit card slips, wrote "No!" or "No Way!!"
Really classy. They take up two tables for several hours, stink the place up, have the waitress running around all night taking care of them, and then after putting her job at risk and putting her at risk of getting ticketed or fined by helping their friend break the law, they then do nothing when he curses her out, and then they finish up by insulting her instead of tipping her.
Nice work, guys. You should go into Public Relations!
This is EXACTLY why a lot of places on the Trail do not welcome hiker patronage, and it's exactly why there are lots of places who once did---even to the point of offering hiker discounts or specials---who no longer do so.
There are places that will treat hikers like anyone else.
There are places that treat hikers like kings.
And there are places that will treat hikers like dirt, and guess what? They usually have good reasons for doing so.
My friend kind of laughed this off. She's served plenty of hikers over the years and will serve plenty more. She realizes you can't judge a group because of a handful of a******s. But she did say this: "I could never
understand why some of the places in town don't like hikers or don't want their business. For the first time, I understand it now."
Pretty sad.
And something for next year's hikers to think about.
Words to the wise:
*No establishment is under any obligation to serve you.
*Service can be denied for any reason.
*Lots of places are doing you a favor by serving your stinky self;
they don't necesarily need your presence or business.
*If you can't obey local or state laws, then go elsewhere.
*If you see another hiker, even if it's a friend, who's being a jerk,
do something about it, and for God's sake, don't HELP him be a jerk.
*If you have a problem with something, find a manager or owner;
taking out your problem on a young waitress or bartender is not
the way to go.
*You're a hiker, you're not God. Stop feeling so f****** entitled.
*And for heaven's sake, remember the folks who'll be coming thru after
you are long gone. They're going to be relying on these businesses,
whether it's a motel, outfitter, restaurant, whatever. How these folks
get treated will depend on how previous hikers acted and behaved.
*In short, don't poison the well. Sooner or later, who knows? You
might want to drink out of it again yourself.
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Originally Posted by Smile
