However, Arrogant Bastard Ale and Double Bastard Ale make up only part of the personality of those of us at the Stone Brewing Co. All the other beers have their part, all the charitable and community endeavours, all of the day to day challenges we face in our respective positions, all of our striving towards trying to do better and improve our surroundings...all those things are also part of the collectively personality that is the Stone Brewing Co.
And most importantly, it's the personality of the people themselves (ourselves) that make up the personality of the Stone Brewing Co.
And yet it pains me sometimes when those on the outside take only the most cursory or casual glance towards us and decide that we're just a bunch of 'arrogant bastards.' They mean it in the pejorative sense of course, otherwise it is capitalized when it is denoting a compliment, which is the proper usage. Of course.
The reality is that it is typically a reflection on them, not on us. They come with their preconceived notions as their rule of how they'll interpret their interactions with us, rather than being open to a new perspectives.
Where the hell am I going with this?
It's when we make a mistake. Whether a simple inadvertent one, one due to someone just not paying enough attention, or a huge gaff due to whatever litany if things someone might be personally dealing with. We do sometimes make mistakes. All people do of course.
One of the ways that I truly believe Stone has stood out over the years is that collectively we strive, hard, to do the best job possible. To "Be Amazing" as I am sometimes wont to put it. Collectively, we are anything but a group of people with a "whatever" attitude.
So it's with a combination of befuddlement and sadness when I get an email like the one I got CC'd on yesterday.
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Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 11:29 PM
Subject: Saturday's Visit
We visited your restaurant and bar Saturday the 24th of November. In spite of the fact that most of the tables were empty, no one was being seated. In the bar area there was no service.We were there waiting for about forty-five minutes before we gave up. We got a look at your menu and decided that the food could not be as good as the prices made it sound. That was fine with me, I do not drink beer. My son who loves Arrogant Bastard and his friend another lover of Arrogant Bastard were with us. They decided that the place was too arrogant a place to eat. We decided to eat at the Hotel Del where the service is great and there is food that is reasonably priced and recognizable. I will be sure to delete your brewery from our list of places to take people when they visit San Diego.
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Certainly, the fellow was correct. We don't have service in the bar area most of the time. Patrons go to the bartender and order what they would like. He was incorrect to decide that an iota of arrogance was in play, except perhaps that of his own. It seems a bit of a stretch that anyone, let alone a whole group, would sit for 45 minutes within shouting distance of a bartender, seemingly do nothing about it, and then proclaim such things.
To be certain, it might have been helpful if a bartender had noticed them sitting there 25 feet away and found a moment to walk over and let them know that whenever they wanted anything they should just order it up at the bar. Sounds like they didn't.
In my short one year's worth of experience in the restaurant business, I've quickly learned that the biggest challenges come from the customers that come with the biggest set of expectations. We freely admit that we approach many things from a very different perspective here at Stone. Hell, it's arguable that we've essentially been shouting that message for each one of our eleven years.
When we opened the bistro, I was shocked...nay SHOCKED that so many people, Stone fans included, came with such a wide array of FIRM expectations. And that they were so angry when we didn't fit their mold. Some came expecting "typical pub grub" looking for wings, chicken sandwiches and regular cheeseburgers with a side of nachos. Where on earth they got the idea that a company with a known reputation for approaching the world of beer from a unique perspective would then approach the world of dining from the 'same ol' same ol'' perspective. Local food blogger Lauren covered this subject well in this entry of hers in which she never spelled out that she was talking about Stone, but it was clear that she was. People have said to me "but you're a brewery" as if I didn't get it and they were trying to help me understand, I guess, that breweries aren't supposed to serve food of the sort that we do, have architecture like we do, have a really great wine list like we do, etc.
I beg to differ. I hope this won't sound too much like "It's my ball and we play my way" but the fact of the matter is that it's up to us at Stone to decide all the aspects of the bistro. Your job is to decide if you like it or not. If you do, great! Most people seem to really dig it. If you don't, that's OK too, but don't be confused into thinking that if we'd only change this, that, or the other thing to be the way YOU think it should be, then finally we'd have it right. Frankly, we're not all that interested in those critiques.
Mostly because they're simply not helpful. Or insightful.
To be continued in tomorrow's episode....
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