Restaurant Ettiquete While Carrying

[Guest cowboy20th]

Hey everybody, I am a waiter in the nashville area, my work location and name will not be disclosed to protect my identity as well as my employer's, but work was slow tonight so I thought up some ideas to help make our image squeaky clean during this largely publicized political event.

Before I get into to this I will say that I have been working in restaurants for almost four years, so sorry if I get off on a tangent about things, I just got off work and possibly still have a bug or too up my arse about human social interactions in general. I am also very excited about this becoming law as it would make myself and many of my coworkers safer at our places of employment which are often subjected to being targeted by criminals. (and we look forward to all the business on the 1st as everyone excercises their rights. )

1. I know this is very exciting and I would personally love to chat with all the ccw and tgo'ers in the area, but this IS a POLITICAL issue which you will find some oppossition to in the area. Many restaurant employees are very liberal so this topic could be very touchy with your service staff, try to stay away from politics and religion from the conversation as this is considered offense in the public dining setting.

2. I am very fortunate to live in a state with so many responsible gunowners, but many people I have seen in the restaurant tend to forget their manners and act like they are in the comfort of their own home (scratching, farting, picking of noses, under the table fun, you name it I seen it.) So please refrain from excissively moving or touching your weapon while at the establisment, and please do not remove your weapon and place it on the table, lap, or seat beside you. I personally could care less but understand how this could make anyone else uncomfortable.

3. Tempers fly when food and numbers of people are involved for some reason. I am gratefull to have your protection if something bad does happen, but please realize people are drinking, irritated, tired, and hungry, and I am very experienced in handling drunks, jerks, and complainers so please don't feel the need to stand up for my part or tell someone they are an a**hat, I will be happy to take care of it for you. (I know when I got my firearm it made me feel like a protector, but the best way to protect is to avoid situations, and restaurants have a situation around almost every corner.)

4. I like to have a drink too when I go out, but if you are carrying please do not order a drink out of respect for the server and the law, even if no one can see the pocket .22 you have hidden in your undergarments. It may be your carry liscense on the line for you, but its my job and liscense to do this job that are at stake for me. So please follow the rules. Jobs are too hard to find right now, to loose mine because I served someone who was carrying, and even though the law does not have a provision to punish the server, I have no doubt my established would kick my tail to the curb for it.

5. I greatly look forward to this bill passing and am still pestering the govener to go ahead and sign, but we are all pretty certain this will pass. Please come out to our establisments and enjoy yourselves and exercise your rights. We will be busy though, so please be patient and enjoy the moment. Oh yea, a shamless plug on the server's behalf, we get paid 2.13/hr and that IS legal. It is our minimum wage so please tip 20% it is considered standard for good service, your dining experience and server's skill will vary this amount, but please keep it in mind.

I think if we all did this the public would not even notice most of us and the issue would be quite by the end of the week. The last thing I want to see are incidents all over the news of police being called, customers saying "I was stuffing bread into my face when this guy walked in carrying the biggest handgun I ever seen. I was afraid for my life so I grabbed my free rolls and left." Lets be on our best behaviour and keep our image squeaky clean! Maybe we can win over the young liberal crowd since they often dwell in restaurants wether working or eating.

[DavidCBaker]

Has there been any discussion internally about whether or not the restaurant you work for will post to disallow guns? I'm just curious about how the management thinks about such things.

[jgrauman]

great post! good insight. i bartended and served for 4 years through college as well. another little tip is, don't use your HCP as an ID just to show that you have one. Use your license, then if anyone is uncomfortable with it you won't be putting it in their face. I used to get guys showing me there HCP and look at me to see my reaction. Don't need to be carrying if it's to look "cool."

Edited May 24, 2009 by jgrauman

[Guest cowboy20th]

agreed jgrauman.

As far as how my particular establishment feels about it, there are mixed feelings. We are all looking forward to the business, as it will probably boost throughout the summer. I have heard some managers saying good, others saying bad. Basically they are the last line for dealing with jerks and we are worried about the wanna be mercenaries coming in with there carry badges and 16" revolvers wagging around frightening the crap out of everybody. They can't tell that guy to leave now, so what do you do? Do you tell the guy to leave or do you let him scare off your business? That is pretty much why I posted this so I could hopefully get people to spread the word in the shops and ranges that the restaurants don't need commandoes walking around waiting for WWIII. I believe most restaurants will be very pro gun, getting robbed is just a bad day to us and maybe this new bill will make us much less attractive to theives and thugs.

[Guest benchpresspower]

Win over the liberal crowd???? You have a better chance of getting blood out of a turnip.

[Smith]

Good post. My family is in the fine dining business and deal with a lot of politicians and "star" types so it's not as much of an issue for us, but we are glad non the less.

I think the best way to "win" after restaurant carry is law, is for nothing to change except for more business. If we get a lot of badgers, HCP Badge wearing fools who feel the need to badger people with their rights, then it will only confirm the liberals mistaken idea we are a bunch of redneck hillbilly fools looking for "bar fights" and shootouts.

[BrasilNuts]

agreed jgrauman.

Basically they are the last line for dealing with jerks and we are worried about the wanna be mercenaries coming in with there carry badges and 16" revolvers wagging around frightening the crap out of everybody. They can't tell that guy to leave now, so what do you do? Do you tell the guy to leave or do you let him scare off your business?

Your establishment has the right to ask them to leave and by law they must comply. It is the same as if I were to go into Kroger or McDonalds with my firearm... If they request that I leave their property I must.

[Mike.357]

the only gun ettiquete I am worried about is to keep my barrel out of the gravy and the ketchup off the grips

Seriously though, nothing should change with the new law, aside from people legally carrying. No one ought to know you are sporting a sidearm but that is another topic for another thread.

[Guest jos2f]

You know, this isn't quite like the English coming over to a new world and learning how to deal with the natives.

HCP owners have been carrying into restaurants for over a decade now. We've been able to take it in places like Cracker Barrel, Zaxby's, meat-and-threes, etc. for a while now and have so far avoided almost all negative press and bad situations (which is what we should strive for).

I would hope that most of us already act as the OP mentioned. If not, definitely a good read with good points.

Having a HCP is sort of like having an ugly fat chick on speed dial. Nobody should know about it until you have no alternatives in a situation and it's the last resort.

[Guest 270win]

I have yet to see people lay handguns on tables or show them to their friends in states where it is legal for those with licenses/permits to carry handguns in places that serve alcohol. It is funny that people assume that will happen. Most of the states surrounding TN allow people to carry in restaurants and/or bars. People need to get a grip if they are afraid and realize if they've taken a vacation to Florida, they have been where people can carry handguns in places that serve alcohol....even Disney World. So are the scared people going to pass up on a trip to Florida or Disney World now that they know it is legal to carry in restaurants down there?

[timcalhoun]

Much to do about nothing.

[Fallguy]

LOL...I have to say I'm a little torn.

Part of me wants to say there was good info in the post another part feels like I've just been talked down to because I may not know how to handle myself in this "new" situation.

1) I don't generally discuss anything "controversial" (politics, religion, etc...) with strangers.

2) I agree people are not always courteous when in public, but many of us with HCP's aren't exactly new to carry and don't generally shuffle our weapon or take it out regardless of where we are.

3) I carry mainly to protect myself and my family. If I ever felt a third person needed to be defended.....I would be making sure I fully understood the situation before getting involved let alone using deadly force. Again....maybe new environment for carry, but not a totally new environment or situation either.

4) I agree a boss may fire you. But I would wager you have already served alcohol to an armed person many time before without knowing it. But I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't happen less often, at least in the near future, with the new law.

5) Yep.....tip your servers!!

[56FordGuy]

I agree, while the OP makes some good points, it isn't exactly new information for a lot of us. Most people who carry don't have a need to discuss it with everyone, or swagger about like John Wayne. Chances are really very good that you've already served several people who were carrying firearms, and never knew it.

[Guest Jamie]

LOL...I have to say I'm a little torn.

Part of me wants to say there was good info in the post another part feels like I've just been talked down to because I may not know how to handle myself in this "new" situation.

Personally, I'm not in the mood to be schooled on something by a 21 y/o that I've been doing for well longer than he's been alive.

( I've carried a gun since I was 17, for both professional and personal reasons. I do know the drill and how to behave. )

Anyway, I suppose there are people out there that do need to be told... The only problem is, they're the very ones that aren't apt to listen any how.

One way or the other, don't fret, Cowboy20th... You certainly won't be seeing me in your establishment 'til they do away with that silly smoking ban.

[Guest truthsayer]

Oh Snap!

Well done, Jamie.

[strickj]

school away on the carry thing,but the manners thing is kinda silly to me.

Personally if I wanna pick moi nose or , talk about something you don't agree with,then you'd best start agreeing and smile as that's part of why you're tipped.

Its like when I dine at Hooters,I EXPECT the girls to flirt with me as if im the only male in the state, and they expect to get tipped well for it in return.

If you don't like the conversation,then you'd better learn to,or you won't make any more then your min wage!

[Guest tlondon]

I think that this was a good post. I agree that most people that carry probably did not need the info but there are a LOT of new and younger HCP holders that might not have thought of some of these points. Before someone gets on their high horse we where all young and did not "know everything" at one time so lets give the OP a break. He was just passing on some info he thought might help someone.

[timcalhoun]

My first carry permit was in the state of FL in 89, and in FL it has always been legal to carry where alcohol is served. Nothing ever happened the way the left said it would. No weirdness ever happened. Then I moved to PA and had a permit there and same thing no weirdness, and we all carried where liquor was being served when going out to eat. It is just not a big deal. 40 other states have this law and the good people of TN will be just as responsible and can be trusted just as much as other folks from other states.

[Guest Jamie]

...we where all young and did not "know everything" at one time....

Funny you should say that, 'cause there've been quite a few times that I've wished I was still young and had all the answers. :-\

Hell... these days, I'm usually not even certain of what the questions are anymore, much less what the answers might be.

[Guest cowboy20th]

Thank you everybody for reading.

Sorry if this post seemed like a sermon, I had just gotten off work when I put it all together so I was still a little annoyed with some of the stuff that happened.

I agree with most of you though, 90% or even more on a good night, of my tables are perfect customers. Polite, nice, not too messy, and good tippers and easy to talk with. But then again that 10% stand out in the crowd like a sore thumb, and they are the ones who get remembered the most. The guy who had a case of beer before he swerved his truck into our parking lot wonders why I won't serve him alcohol.

Or the young family changing their baby's diaper AT the table. (Seen this as they then threw the diaper at the floor!)

Or the guy who says his steak was terrible after finishing the last bite. And expecting a refund.

I know most of you are not these people. And most of you already know and practice this stuff. But I also know that news media will be on the lookout for stories of people against this bill. I do not wish to have these rights revoked because of some jerk nobody told stop.

Like I said 90% or more of the people entering the restaurant are excellent guest and it is my pleasure to serve them. But there are plenty of morons who cant keep their booger hooks put away from the bang switch.

pass the word along, I am sure everyone has been to dinner with friends or on a business lunch with someone who had bad manners, it is embarrassing. The better we can look next week the better our image gets and the easier it is to get new bills passed.

Now time to hunt down some ammo!

[Guest jos2f]

Or the young family changing their baby's diaper AT the table. (Seen this as they then threw the diaper at the floor!)

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. That is disgusting.

[titan14]

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. That is disgusting.

Ditto!!!......

[Guest grimel]

we are worried about the wanna be mercenaries coming in with there carry badges and 16" revolvers wagging around frightening the crap out of everybody. They can't tell that guy to leave now, so what do you do? Do you tell the guy to leave or do you let him scare off your business?

Why can't they tell him to leave? They can tell an a$$hat to leave at any time.

[Guest SUNTZU]

I am always running across wanna be mercenaries with carry badges and 16" revolvers. Hell, read the papers, this happens on a daily basis. I jump and spill my coffee everytime I hear CONTACT! while I'm at Applebee's trying to choke down their fine cuisine.

[Guest nraforlife]

IF you are discrete in carrying there shouldn't be any, or many, eyebrows raised or sheeple scared off. But if you want to carry like old Wild Bill Hickok don't complain about being asked to leave.