Pissed Off

[r1v3th3ad]

So I went last night with a triple mission to the hookah bar.
1. start initial research for my paper on the hookah culture/subculture
2. talk with the owner and see how he liked all the freebies I threw him(an entire order from Gaius and a shitload of others)
3. a date with my ex-fiance

Well, we got there running late.
Sit down and order their strawberry daquiri shisha(Splash-Squash), drinks, and a gyro. As soon as she brings it out, "o, we're closing soon, so you can only have one coal"...well, you coulda freakin told me that before you gave me the hookah because I wouldn't have wasted my money. So I asked if I could have two.
The guy a table over got a really really nice set-up with a beautiful Mya and nice hoses and a huge bowl, I got one of their old Myas that leakes with a tiny bowl.
As the night went rolls on, I finally get it smoking good, it was really harsh from the start, tickled my throat and I had the same problem last time I smoked it. Right after that, mind you I'm only halfway through the coals, and they tell us that we have to leave...they let the other group(nice reg middle eastern guy with his family) finish, but wouldn't let me.
So I over payed, under smoked, and got lousy service with a lousy setup.
O ya, the owner never showed.

Ungracious fuckers.

[zeppyrkr]

ouch sorry to hear that, maybe call the owner and talk to him, most "good" owners will throw you a free one, atleast mine would.

[shoresidejake]

i would never return and start to frequent a competition lounge nearby.

sorry about the crap-experience. Edited February 9, 2008 by shoresidejake

[Dom]

yo, that sux, dude.

i guess it goes without saying that there were racial issues there last night. yeah, the owner should definitely hear about this. sometimes the owner and the people who work for him have completely different ways of doing things. don't blame it on the lounge. blame it on the individual who wronged you and leave it at that until you can find out more from the owner.

[kornkitten42]

How does anyone know it's a racial thing? Maybe the guy and his family were great friends of the bar owner or worker. (Or even family) yes, it may appear that way, but people need to stop throwing out the race card unless they know for sure it was out of racism. It's a word that is overly abused. My bar always has friends and family members in it!

But to the op, i'm sorry that you had a crappy night, i'd try to talk to the owner, see if he fixes the situation, if not go to the other bar, and ask for the samples back

[kornkitten42]

**** Just wanted to add, being friends or family, should not cause you to get crappy service in the end! My bar is usually pretty good about that. There is no reason for preferential treatment**** Just wanted to clarify.

[gr!m]

That sucks. Similar thing happened to some friends and I. We went just for smokes and ordered 2 $20 smokes. Got drinks. I got food. We sat and sat then they bring the hookahs out which were very nice. The whole time the smoke was bad, hard to pull, 1 coal, and no help. We asked for a new setup and or fix it and they never did anything. Almost ruined my first Hookah experience.

[Codename067]

Exactly why I stick to smoking in my garage w/ friends rather than going to bars.

Hookahs at bars SUCK big time btw. Edited February 10, 2008 by Codename067

[hookah hippie]

Yeah I don't bother going to hookah bars I can relax much better at home and smoke as long as I want. And its much cheaper

[racemyghost]

Exactly why I stick to smoking in my garage w/ friends rather than going to bars.

Hookahs at bars SUCK big time btw.

Coudlnt have said it better myself.

[Dom]

How does anyone know it's a racial thing? Maybe the guy and his family were great friends of the bar owner or worker. (Or even family) yes, it may appear that way, but people need to stop throwing out the race card unless they know for sure it was out of racism. It's a word that is overly abused...

alright, alright. good point. allow me to correct myself:

maybe not not racism, but definitely some discrimination. there was clearly some bias. whether it was racism or they were cool with the owner, hell, maybe it was age descrimination i don't know. my point is there was discrimination where there should have been fair treatment. it's just bad business to do what they did; run one customer out of the store when there are others sitting there out in the open still smoking. if they were family or friends of the owner or whoever, then they shouldn't be out in the open like a regular guy. apearance is everything. you just don't do something like that.

hell, i think it's bad business to run ANYONE out of the store/restaurant if they came into the place while it was still open. at least that's how it is in the food service industry. maybe it's differrent in a hookah lounge.

maybe i don't have the right to throw the race card, because i was not there, but you have every right to believe that they were getting special treatment because of thier race or whatever, riv3th3ad. THEY made it that way; not you, not me; THEY did. if they don't want people thinking stuff like that, then they shouldn't do shit like that. it's bad for business. that is my point.

[r1v3th3ad]

will check in and respond after my buddies leave, later all

[r1v3th3ad]

It wasn't really a race issue I'd say. The guy that got to finish smoking has been a reg since they opened...awesome fellow. I've been a semi reg, I come in all the time to restock on coals and occasionally to smoke. It's just that they could have said "hey, we're closing soon, so only one coal" and I woulda either got the cheap bowl or saved my money(since I'm broke). And I'm really tea'd off considering I gave them all that and they can't even let me finish my coal. I even gave the girl that was working a tub of double apple just about a week ago.
I'm not looking for special treatment because I gave them freebies, I did it with the intention of them getting to try new stuff, but to be that disrespectful and unprofessional is uncalled for.
I'm only goin back there to get coals and finish my research(unless you guys wanna help )...unless Effe(the owner) has something enlightening on this incident, I haven't seen him in months and left him all that in the past week or so.
And there are no other hookah bars locally, nearest ones are back in Pittsburgh.

[Johnny_D]

I'm rather afraid that I fear this related to discrimination rather than a 'racial'[1] issue.

I find this so much it's just not funny. Try the edgeware road or queensway in london. I've been treated terribly because I'm english,white and can't speak arabic.

Try being a white guy who walks into a Hookah bar. The one (When they were still open) that i used to visit infrequently at least got used to me. One young arabic student whom actually braved speaking to me lol'd that I was a white englishman in a hookah lounge.

The worker at the bar probably thought you were some young punk and that's why you got the attitude. If you know the owner I would complain and ensure you make him aware of how unwelcome you felt.

I'm afraid that I've seen/heard the above story many many times

JD

[1] - This word is so over-used and diluted as to allmost have no meaning. The KKK were racists. I feel this is more cultural discrimination.

[r1v3th3ad]

The girl is actually pretty cool with me, thats the shocker. I had been in almost daily trying to catch the owner and always talked with her for like a half hour, plus gave her a tub of double apple. I'm baffled by this whole incident. But I will be seeing the owner A.S.A.P.

My guess is they just wanted to close, go home, and get drunk...college towners...

[Bulldog_916]

The one that I used to go to every once in a while sells shisha and coals, as well as hookahs. Pisses me off that they charge $20 for a 250g tub of Al Amir, Al Waha, and Pharaoh's. Starbuzz and Tonic are $25/250. Way over priced. I can get 2 250s for that price online w/ shipping included. I gotta find a middle eastern store around here and look for shisha and coals there. But they are such hole in the wall places I doubt I will find one.