- True Story
Dear [name omitted]
Thank you for your inquiry and your kind words regarding
True. No, the information that you have is inaccurate.
1) We have a $10 cover for everyone on select evenings with
occassional VIP/ guset list individuals excuded - gay and straight.
2) We no longer offer tap water - only bottled water at $3.25 for everyone. We used to charge $1.50 per glass for everyone.
3) I am unaware of any "stories" that you refer to. The past 1 1/2 years have beenquite a learning experience for me and my staff. We have made many friends and met many fascinating people -both hetero and homo.
Unfortunately, one blatent and marked outcome that we have all noticed is
that when we have large groups of gays visit True, our sales drop drastically and the bartenders make little in tips. I have been presented with many ideas of why this might be, with no perfect solution for everyone. What I ask everyone to understand is that True is a business first and makes most of revenue from straight couples. It is unfortunate that Pittsburgh does not support a quality gay bar.
We have all seen them come and go, with a few mainstays not making enough
for the owners to reinvest or upgrade.
It is also unfortunate that the vast majority of people that patronize True do not wish to mix with large crowds of gays and I am sure that the opposite holds true as
well. True has overhead so high that it simply can't survive with
large amounts of its customers ordering nothing, water, soft drinks, or even nursing a single beverage for several hours.
I am deeply saddened to relay this information to you and would understand any and all of the anger that you and your friends may have upon reading this - however, I believe that you do deserve an explaination and perhaps better understand the economics behind True.
Thank you again for your
inquiry.
Sincerely,
Eric
Hi Eric! Bigot much?
The above is quoted word for word from an email I was forwarded, with one exception. The original email wasn't about heteros dissin homos, it was about gay men dissin dykes.
Lets back up a bit to the beginning of the story shall we? Last summer I visited True with my friend Kevin. I even blogged about it:
True is a new bar/coffee shop/cafe type place in the North Side. I'd been told
it was expensive and yuppie. Which it is, kinda, but in a non pretentious kinda
way and we freaking LOVED it. So nice to hang in a classy bar. All the bars
downtown make ya wonder why your feet are stickin to the floor, if ya know what
I mean. So yeah, a nice, clean, well decorated place is cool. Theres no smoking
inside, which I actually liked. They do have a really cute patio set up in back
for the smokers. Totally a great date place. Yep. Rocked.
So. A few months after the visit, Ethan comes home and says "Hey, did ya hear about True? Apparently they're making lesbians pay a cover and charging them more for drinks. They no likea da lesbians!" I just kinda shrugged and blew it off because rumors fly in the gay community and it could have been a load of crap. But then I was forwarded the email from a lesbian who was forwarded the email from a lesbian who... well, you get the point. Same story from two completely different sources- one lesbian and one from a gay male... well, can't really shrug that off.
I decided to check out True's website, hoping this was a misunderstanding, but didn't find a damn thing. Couldn't even find anything on the site saying its a gay bar, which also irritates me, albeit for different reasons. They do say that "As diverse as its patrons, True offers a wide range of opportunities for enjoyment." which I suppose is accurate, if your definition of diverse is "mostly white middle aged gay men".
Now, back to the email. I know a lot of lesbians, and I've been to a whole lot of gay bars. I have never even once seen a large group of lesbians "ordering nothing, water, soft drinks, or even nursing a single beverage for several hours." Never. Go to Donny's once, then tell me how the dykes don't drink booze. About the tipping- I've heard similar stories about lesbians that don't tip well. I typically tip close to 50% of my bar tab. Assuming, of course, that I get decent service. Some gay male bartenders won't wait on lesbians. I've had to have Ethan or Kevin get my drinks more than once. And I've had to get them drinks some places too. Sucky service isn't restricted to those with a penis by any means. My point is that based on the tone of the email and my experiences in gay clubs, I'd bet that the waitstaff at True isn't nearly as concerned with getting the dyke at the end of the bar a beer as they are with flirting with the cute guy across from them. Which would mean that yeah, lesbians do drink less and don't tip.
Which brings me to my request. True is run by Eric Kukura and Dru Imler. If you know of any other businesses they're involved in, please drop me a line and let me know. I do so hate to go where I'm not wanted. And if you'd like to contact these two shining examples of solidarity and justice, you may do so here. And ask them to just post a "no dykes" sign on the door. Much simpler.
Monday, May 16, 2005
- Um...
I was gonna post about the creation vs "Intelligent" design debacle in Kansas, but eh. If people in Kansas want their kids to grow up not knowing basic scientific principals, more power to them. Natural selection will prevail.
Then I thought I'd post more on the whole pharmacist conscience clause, but decided to save that for a day that I really need to vent. So instead, I decided to post about a topic I know lots about. The L word!
Last night was the season finale. *sigh* Seems like the season just started. Anyhoo, for those of you that didn't get to see season 2, here's what's goin on-
Tina and Bette were broken up all season. Bette flirted with alcoholism and did the one night stand thing. Tina hooked up with Helena Peabody, who happens to be in control of the Peabody Foundation. She's also a freak. And a bit of an exhibitionist. And a heinous bitch from hell. Long story short, Tina had her baby and she and Bette are planning on getting back together. Assuming of course that Tina doesn't bite the big one. Season 3 prediction- Tina dies in the first ep and Bette has to fight to get custody of the baby. And has to find a new job. I further predict that Helena's mother, whats-her-face Peabody will come to Bette's aid somehow. We ain't seen the last o them there Peabodys!
Dana and Tonya broke up. (YAY!) Dana and Alice got together. (BOO!) Over the course of the season, they have progressed from the nauseating cootchy-coo stage of lesbian dating to the "of course you should be friends with your ex" stage. Along the way they explored the wonderful world of the strap on, dabbled in role playing and briefly took an interest in BDSM. (The interest lasted long enough for them to walk into a club, say eek, and walk out.) Season 3 prediction- big, messy breakup. I'm guessing they'll decide they make better friends and try to go back. More power to them. One possibility involves Dana cheating with her ex the soup chef. Bad idea. Bad.
Shane is in love. And we're apparently supposed to be all shocked and awed by the news despite the fact that last season she was all in love with Ms. I'm-Married-But-Fuck-Me-Anyways. Whatever. Also, Shane is pretty friendly with Mark, the new straight guy on the block. Mark planted hidden cameras all over the place and taped the most intimate details of Shane and Jenny's lives, but Shane has basically given him a pass. Have I mentioned that Shane irritates me? Um yeah. Season 3 prediction- Shane and Jenny end up in the sack. Don't know when, don't know how, but eventually, they will do the do.
Jenny went a little crazy this season. Which actually makes her likable in a strange look-at-me-I'm-a-loony kinda way. She has also morphed into an outspoken unapologetic feminist. Her "write 'fuck me' on your chest" tirade to Mark was fantastic. The writing/voice over "I want to give you my sweetbreads" garbage has been done away with thank God. In its place is eerie black and white footage of a carnival, which has turned out to be the scene of some serious sexual abuse Jenny suffered as a child. Hence the going loony. The last ep had Jenny sobbing on the floor of the bathroom, carving lines into her thighs with a razor blade. Season 3 prediction- Other than the Jenny/Shane sapphic love fest, I'm not sure what's in store for this one. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens. Dare I say, Jenny has become my favorite. THERE'S your shock and awe!
Kit had a few developments this season. She bought the Planet (with Ivan's help) and turned it into a kickin club. She's seeing a married (oogie) man. And she found out that Ivan was in a relationship during their whole flirting/courtship/whatever ya wanna call it. Other than that, not a whole lot of time spent on her. Which is a shame, cause Kit rocks. Even if she is straight(ish). Season 3 prediction- drama with the married man.
Other thoughts on the second season-
Who in Betty is fucking whom on the L word? Not only did Betty do the new theme song, which sucks, but at least one member of the band has been in damn near every ep this season. And like it isn't bad enough that we have to hear the sucky theme song at the beginning of the show, we also have to hear 3 dozen variations of it throughout every freakin episode. Knock. It. Off. For the love of all thats holy, hire a better band and get a theme that make me want to puncture my eardrums. And please, please, please, no more blonde Betty having sex of any kind. Also, the phantom voice/music/whatever that you have going on is stupid and irritating. I don't need to hear "Carmen... Carmen... Carmen... Shane... Shane... Shane..." while Carmen and Shane are fucking. I know who they are, I watch the damn show. Plus, some people smoke certain substances while watching the show, and disembodied voices freak em out. Not me of course. Um... a friend. Yeah, a friend. And she says knock it the hell off!