Social media has been abuzz the past couple of days with allegations of racism at the family of restaurants that includes Flight, Porch & Parlor, and Southern Social. A former barback at Flight posted to Facebook that when he worked there briefly, he was told to try and sell black people on the seating upstairs, telling them it was more appealing and classy. The real reason, the former barback alleged, is that the owner didn’t want people on the street walking by and seeing black people dining. He also said there was a code in the computer to indicate that a person who made a reservation was black.
Also, yesterday someone I follow on Twitter tweeted a screenshot of a text conversation with someone who had worked at Porch & Parlor. That person alleged that if someone asked how come there were no black servers at the restaurant, they were to respond, “They have the day off.”
Russ Graham, co-owner of Flight, issued a statement to the media saying the ownership group does not condone racism, and calling for an investigation of alleged racism and discrimination at his businesses. Commercial Appeal coverage Daily Memphian coverage I look forward to Mr. Graham issuing a future statement to the media reporting the findings of the investigation in a completely open and transparent manner.
I have no first-hand knowledge of whether the allegations are true, but to be fair I will make this observation: I can see the entrance to Flight from my living room window, and multiple times since the Safer at Home house arrest was lifted I have seen black people on their patio.
Sadly racism at restaurants is more common than a lot of people realize… there’s another restaurant Downtown at which I stopped dining 9 or 10 years ago, after hearing from multiple friends that they required a credit card upon seating for black dine-in customers, but not from whites. They have since changed their policy, I have been told. They now take a card from everyone. If you order an appetizer and drink to get started while you look at the menu to decide your main course, they tab you out once when you order the appetizer and drink, and again when you order your entree. That’s just fucking ridiculous.
All right, let’s get on to some brighter, cheerier news. Yesterday I wrote that there would be a musical protest on King’s Palace Cafe today at 1, demanding that live music be allowed to return. Good news: That protest is CANCELED because the city has agreed to allow live music, effective immediately.
Edible Memphis reported on Facebook that beginning next week (so not this weekend) once we’re in Phase 3, Silly Goose will extend its operating hours and be open 12 PM to 3 AM daily. No word on if they’ll be allowed to bring the DJ back. In the name of research for my blog, I will stop by the Goose sometime soon and find out.
So good to see things getting back to normal… I mean, catching a disease from someone you met in a bar at 2:30 AM was a thing long before 2020.
Tweet from Belle Tavern yesterday:
The window is open, the door is open, we have seating inside. Come by and enjoy a sip or two!
They have seating inside! Another Downtown hotspot is back! Man, the “only in America do we decide a pandemic is over because people want to go out to bars” people are having a bad day, aren’t they?
Looks like Blues City Cafe reopened last night.
Tug’s Casual Grill adds a pizza menu created by Chef Judd Grisanti starting Monday. They have 8 specialty pizzas or you can build your own. The pizzas are an addition to the regular menu, not a replacement.
Yesterday I wondered whether smokers could potentially spread COVID-19 when they exhale. CBS Boston had viewers send in questions for Dr. Malika Marshall, and that was among them. Her response was that the virus doesn’t necessarily hitch a ride on smoke, but when people exhale, they are releasing droplets into the air. Therefore, if you’re close enough to smell someone’s cigarette smoke and that person is sick with COVID-19, there is a risk you will be infected. Dr. Marshall goes on to say that smokers and those frequently around secondhand smoke may have damaged lungs, putting them at increased risk for complications should they catch COVID-19.
The Giving Grill raising money for 275 Food Project happens today at Cordelia’s Market 11 AM-1 PM.
Is it just me or are the fruit flies out of control this year? Seems like as soon as I zap one with Febreze, grounding it so I can catch it with a tissue, another one pops up.
Two hairstylists in Springfield, Missouri came down with COVID-19 and before they realized they had it, they cut 140 clients’ hair. How many of those clients were infected? Zero, because both they and their clients were wearing face masks. If at some future point there’s a surge here in Memphis – and I mean a REAL surge, not “look the rolling 14-day average went up from 6.8% to 7.2%” – I would prefer a mandatory mask order to another Safer at Home house arrest. I enjoy being back at work and back at bars named after animals.
The Atomic Angels Drag Show with Holly Walnutz and Bella DuBalle returns to Atomic Rose tonight. There are two shows, at 8 and 11 PM. Buy two entrees, get a free appetizer 6-9 PM. $10 cover after 9. They’ll have limited capacity, hand sanitizer, and socially distanced seating, because Ms. Rona is NOT invited to the party.
LOL my friend who bartends at Atomic Rose tells me it’s hard to make any money there because all the boys want to order from Joe…
I read something this week that really brought me inner peace. It’s the idea that your soul draws to you exactly the people and events that allow you to have the experience it wants you to have, at every point in time. So, for example, if the music’s turned up too loud, you don’t have to be annoyed, because there’s a reason it is supposed to be that way. If the guy in the seat next to you is actin’ a fool, rather than finding it irritating, see it as an opportunity to decide who you want to be in relation to that behavior.
That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow with more.