Hooter's Banned Our Hookah! Please Read!

[KyDUDE]

A group of us Gather at Hooter's in Newport, KY for Food, Fellowship and a Relaxing time.
We asked the Manager if we could smoke a hookah after we had ate!
He said "He see's no problem with it and there is nothing stating we cant in the policies."
So we ordered one and was told, By Him, We were told we couldn't smoke the Hookah anymore, due to A complaint.
I am enclosing my letter to HOOTER'S Corporate office. I
also had it published online at:letter online in newspaper

We have launched a letter writing campaign to HOOTER's and ask that you might take a few minutes and send them a letter for us!!!!
at: hooterspr@hooters.com

Here is My Letter!!!! What are your thoughts???

To whom it may concern:
As you may have already heard about, We had a little trouble from the Manager of the Hooter's in Newport, KY over a HOOKAH that a group of us bought to smoke after enjoying the food!

We (a group of at least 12 people) gather weekly at your restaurant on Wednesday nights at 9 O'clock! We have been doing this for almost a year (first at Florence and then moved to Newport so more could join us). After dinner we would smoke pipes and cigars. We had looked into Hookahs and the tobacco's they use and we thought that having one and getting to enjoy it after dinner would be nice and relaxing.

We approached "Chris" the manager at Newport, showed him pictures of the 4 hose hookah we picked out, explained it to him and also assured him we WOULD never smoke anything ILLEGAL in it. He said "He did not see any problem with it". . It did get a few looks BUT we always
invited other patrons to try it and answered any questions about it, and explained the Egyptian heritage behind it. We even had a lot of the waitresses and cooks try it.

We also do a lot of "advertising" our nights out on "My Space" by posting and reposting Bulletins about our gatherings and even placing pictures in them. We also post our pictures from HOOTER'S in our picture folders and the restaurant's name also!

We feel that this decision to not allow our HOOKAH is a bad business move. To lose 12 or more PAYING and TIPPING WEEKLY customers over one complaint supposedly made to the corporate office, is an unfair move on your part.

I have included the address for my "MY SPACE" page, on it you can look at the pictures and also realize that I have over 250 friends on there and the rest of the group have well over 3000 friends on their pages jointly. That is a lot of people hearing your name in either good or bad ways.

I hope we can get some answers to this situation. To the best of my knowledge there is no policy stated not allowing a HOOKAH to be smoked inside the restaurant, If there is, PLEASE forward the policies to me! I am also contacting the local papers to let them know of this biased move on your part not to allow us to smoke it in a restaurant that allows SMOKING.

My MySpace address is: www.myspace.com/markmilner

Feel free to contact me to talk about this letter.
Thanks for your Time!

Mark Milner

[Pieces]

Personally, I think you're overreacting. He originally said there was no problem with it, sure. However, Hooters is a customer based business, and they have to take complaints into account. You can always smoke elsewhere, be it a hookah lounge or your house. While it may not state anything against hookahs in their policies, it doesn't state anything for them either.

I can understand your being upset, as you're a regular customer there, but there are much more diplomatic ways to handle this situation, along with better ways to word that letter.

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with your stand on this. Edited April 17, 2007 by Pieces

[highc1157]

Personally, I think you're overreacting. He originally said there was no problem with it, sure. However, Hooters is a customer based business, and they have to take complaints into account. You can always smoke elsewhere, be it a hookah lounge or your house. While it may not state anything against hookahs in their policies, it doesn't state anything for them either.

I can understand your being upset, as you're a regular customer there, but there are much more diplomatic ways to handle this situation, along with better ways to word that letter.

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with your stand on this.

QFT - quoted for truth

[KyDUDE]

Thank you guys for your Honest opinions!!!
I understand what you mean!!

It's so hard having our rights taken away, You see, I am just across the river from Cincinnati,Ohio.
They passed a "Smoking Ban"in Ohio last November, So now there is NO SMOKING in public in Ohio!!!!
This was also the same week that IMUS can fired for using his FREEDOM OF SPEECH, so I am just making a stand!! In my little way!!!

[kornkitten42]

i agree with your point but like another person here who had a complaint like this with IHOP. They were a smoking establishment and were told they could smoke, but were then asked to take it down due to the fact that ihop is a family imaged restraunt.And though people dont like to think, the hookah to the uneducated public appears to be a neferious object.


But the hooters here has a porch you can sit on and enjoy yourself after you eat, is there not a porch that you guys can smoke on if you are not allowed to smoke inside? did you even make that suggestionif there was?

the other thing is how did you handle yourself to the management after you were told you could not set up shop? Were you curtious, understanding? or where you angered and upset? This will help you in your case if you were curtious to the manager. As after corperate gets your letter they can ask the manager if you were nice about it , or if the group got into an uproar about it and then left.

[The King]

I would have to say that you kind of came about it in a negative way. It seemd like a threat to business when you talked about contacting local newspapers about their "biased move". And that it is an unfair move. I would also put in a good word for Chris the manager. HE seemd cool and unserstanding about it and it is not his fault. I would ask politely if there are any policies against it and that you would appreciate it if they would look into it and re think their desicion.

Because honestly, they dont have to do shit for you... they can say well tough shit... If your nice about it they might say well hell, they seem lkike nice guys, maybe we can just allow them to do it in the back and if there are any complaints make it clear to the fellow customers...just my opinion

[Mahir]

I agree with all of the above.

My honest opinion...dont bash the manager....he was ALLOWING you to smoke there.
Now if you were Chris the manager....and someone complained about something...would you say tough luck, they come here every night at 9 oclock...or would you accomodate?

Either way...reword that junk you wrote......it too one-sided.

[sabsz]

Grr, lucky Americans, you can smoke everywhere. If you were in Canada (at least Ontario) you wouldnt be able to smoke anything INSIDE of any place, restruants and bars included now, but i think you CAN in Casinos but still its..... Edited April 18, 2007 by mushrat

[Hookah_Bob3]

You can write a letter, but you will a) need to correct your grammar and punctuation (no offense) and adjust the tone. It's okay to be angry, but you need to be cordial, clear, and concise. They won't bother to even read the letter if you send it in like that (once again, no offense)

and you'll need to put in a real contact address

and don't make threats Edited April 18, 2007 by Hookah_Bob3

[AKammenzind]

Bloody hell... a 6th grader could pick that grammar to pieces, I hope you didn't submit that yet? Doesn't help that the overall tone is likely to offend the reader.

[Xanas]

There is an old saying "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar".

The manager was being accommodating and let you smoke in the first place, then he was told not to by his superiors. He still has to report to someone higher on the corporate ladder. It wouldn't be nice for someone to bash you at your job if you were just following orders.

It's been mentioned before, but we all took up a hobby with some negative public image. Everyone here is doing their part to educate the public about the use of a hookah, but until we manage to teach everyone, we still have to deal with the publics perception.

Overall, patience and playing the political games needed by corporate America will probably get better results than being a verbal brute.

[Sariél]

Thank you guys for your Honest opinions!!!
I understand what you mean!!

It's so hard having our rights taken away, You see, I am just across the river from Cincinnati,Ohio.
They passed a "Smoking Ban"in Ohio last November, So now there is NO SMOKING in public in Ohio!!!!
This was also the same week that IMUS can fired for using his FREEDOM OF SPEECH, so I am just making a stand!! In my little way!!!

Your rights are not being taken away. Hooters has the right to turn away anybody that causes a nuisance. I smoke (almost)every day, but I would be annoyed to go into a restaraunt and find someone smoking at the table next to me. Unless it WAS a patio, when it is marginally more acceptable.

And as per Imus, the right of freedom of speech is granted to you by the constitution, and guarantees that the government will not punish you for speaking your mind, CBS is not required to pay some asshole to represent them and piss off their advertisers. A friend told me "But he's an equal opportunity asshole, he offends everyone". To me, that means that he should have been fired long ago.

PS. Mush: just milk in my cereal his morning... Edited April 18, 2007 by Sariél

[KyDUDE]

Thanks again for everyones input!!! I am not one to be offended, In fact I am usually the one who might offend someone!!! LoL
We dont light it up till after 10:30pm.
I was courtious to the Manager as he told us, in fact I said "ok, See ya next week".

He told us 3 different storys of one complaint and how it was Corp. Decision.

This is a response that one of the letter's another guy wrote:
BTW: It seems to me she might consider the patrons -Stupid!
From: hootgirl@aim.com

Mr.

Please allow me to apologize if you are upset by the company's decision against smoking a 'Hooka' in our restaurants. Although I am sure that your group enjoys smoking favorful tobacco from it, the decision has been made due to, for lack of a better word, ignorance on the part of other patrons' perception of what your group is actually smoking. The Newport Hooters location does allow smoking of cigarettes, pipes and cigars. The Hooka is an enigma to most customers and could be viewed in a derogatory element. Unfortunately, we have to uphold this decision in part, mostly to the large quantities of patrons who are unfamiliar with the origins and elements pertaining to your choice of recreation. I am sorry if this offends your group of friends, but as I mentioned above we must make decisions in the best interest of the restaurant.



Sincerely,


Kimberly Gaiser
Area Supervisor
Hooters Newport, The Beer Sellar and JB Fins
301 Riverboat Row
Newport, Kentucky 41071
859-291-9191
859-291-4182

[Johnny_D]

Ignorance wins again....

but until it's seen as 'mainstream' you cannot be surprised by this response

JD

[The King]

Yep, just the way it goes...

Everyone's first reaction is parapharnalia!

[ghostofdavid]

If you are ever looking for another head to show up for smoke out sessions, let me know. I am in the Cincinnati area as well! A new hookah bar just opened up in Clifton that I have yet to visit.

[web250]

Some people will never understand...

[KyDUDE]

Tonite ( wed) is our nite out for eating and hookah smoking!
A reporter called me on Tuesday and wants to do a story on us, The Hookah and Hooters ban!
They will be doing pics and I will post the link to story and also fill everyone in!!!!

[azcoyote]

Tonite ( wed) is our nite out for eating and hookah smoking!
A reporter called me on Tuesday and wants to do a story on us, The Hookah and Hooters ban!
They will be doing pics and I will post the link to story and also fill everyone in!!!!

A reporter who smells a sweet story.
Sorry.
Give the reporter a link to the forum, it's searchable and he can find out how just how vast the hookah universe is.

[The King]

Good, that sounds like a great reporter as long as he portrays the hookah for what it is, and does not preach that it is wrong like others have.

[NargileClub]

I hope all works out. My Hookah was banned from my dear friends bar. Oh well No worries here. Life goes on.
But maybe it will work out for you.
Anyways here in Tucson,Az. The Smokeing Band goes in to affect on May 1st. But we have nothing to do with it. So smoke away at Smiley's
Smiley

[Akkbar]

maybe in 5 or 10 years when this hookah craze dies down and people realize that it's NOT A BIG DEAL, we'll all be able to hookah anywhere that any other smokers smoke.

I cant go to the park (not a childrens park; but Princess Island Park in Calgary) and smoke with friends without getting hassled by police. They always leave me alone after looking at what we're doing and talking to us. But, it's getting annoying.

i dont agree with the tone of your letter, but it's good that youre setting a precedent in some ways. it's too early in this hemisphere for that man.

[KyDUDE]

Just got home and all went well!! The reporter was great and agrees with our stance, she was super nice and I think she will lean it our way !! We even got her to try it and she liked it!!!
By the time I got home she had sent me a "Friends request" on Myspace!! which I accepted, of course!!!!!!
and she also said she would join us on a wed nite again soon!
Story will be in paper next thursday and online also!
I gave her a link to the forum and a history of the hookah and copies of our letters and responses from Hooters
I will post a link

[The King]

tight man, eager to see the article

[Soeffinblack]

I cant wait to smoke in downtown kent by the river with a few friends, were gunna hear about it from every which direction and probbably hear about it from a police officer or two before we get left alone on nice days sitting in the shade smoking in the grass relaxing and chatting... man I cant wait for it to stop raining.