Jack from Press Box Grill gives us his side of the story:
Listen, the bottom line to this story is not simple. First off, the guest you mentioned got here at 11 a.m. At 1:30, he had a $25 tab and tipped $5 (I credited his credit card). I offered him the bar to watch the rest of the game. Unfortunately most people who eat at lunch in downtown do not have two hours for lunch. They have 30-45 minutes. Which I normally accommodate easily.
I do apologize for his inconvience and would love to invite him back in and buy his lunch and the few people that he was with.
Jack is a good guy. I’ve met him. And as I said initially, I sympathize with his position. How about this solution? If you plan to loiter, you should ask before you settle in. Then, as a customer, you know where you stand. And management never has to ask you to surrender your table.
I don’t know. It’s still not perfect. What would happen if I sat down to a lunch at The Mansion and wanted to occupy my table for three hours?
Update: Another note from Jack, explaining today’s lunch numbers:
I realize that I could have handled it a lot better. I had a bar full of people who honestly had a soft drink and watched the game for two hours. There is not an easy way out of this. I have exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to turn my tables three times. You would think on a day when we are packed and on a wait that I would make more money. Sales were down 20% for a Monday lunch. Please pass on my apology.
