Rowlett Restaurant Owner Explains No-Mask Policy After Asking Family To Leave

[left-of-center2012]

ROWLETT, Texas — It was last week when Natalie Wester and her husband went to Hang Time, a bar and restaurant in Rowlett, with a few friends. Something they say they don’t do often as new parents. “If you’ve ever been new parents, having those couple of hours out like once or twice a month is so important for your mental health,” Wester said.

They’re fully vaccinated, but say they choose to mask up when out to protect their immunocompromised four-month-old son. But once inside, they were told they had to take them off.

“Our waitress came over, sat down next to me and said, ‘Our manager told me to come over because I am nicer than he is… But this is political and I need you to take your masks off.'”
No masks allowed.

It’s a policy you don’t hear often amid the pandemic, but the owner says he considers it part of the dress code. Tom, the owner of Hang Time says it’s a private business and he has every right to refuse service to those who want to wear their mask.

“I have spent my money on the business, my blood sweat and tears in this business, and
I don’t want masks in here,” Tom said.
“I feel the overall reaction with masks is ridiculous in the United States right now,” Tom said.
“So when they put their masks on the other night,
they were reminded to take it off. They didn’t want to, and so we asked them to leave,” the owner continued.

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2021/09/18/rowlett-restaurant-owner-explains-no-mask-policy-after-asking-family-to-leave/

[lame54]

1. So much for personal freedom

[rickyhall]

15. So much for Hang Time Sports Bar & Grille

[Walleye]

2. Kind of funny. They're chasing away their customers. As well as killing them

I don’t think he put his blood sweat and tears into this business and he can afford to turn away customers for something stupid

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Dumb Businessman

Chasing away people who were already there prepared to spend money!
What an idiot!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. It's unfortunate that this restaurant owner is so shortsighted!

He just alienated his customers, who may never return.

[Equomba]

16. I wager that with the national exposure he's gotten,

along with this being a sports bar in TX, there will be a spike in sales due to the freedumb lovers.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Alas, you are probably correct. Dumb is the right word for them, too. n/t

[sarisataka]

4. I would have told the waitress

How sorry I was she had to be put in such a position. I would suggest she try to find employment under someone who isn't a mean, cowardly person and has more care for people's health and well-being than politics.

When I was working in food service, as a manager I was responsible for enforcing rules, not make the work staff have to deal with issues they aren't paid enough to deal with.

[madville]

5. They shouldn't be going out to restaurants at all if they have an immunocompromised baby at home

They would have had to remove their masks to drink and eat at their table regardless, sounds very reckless either way.

[Equomba]

7. I have to agree, especially considering this one is

a sports bar, which makes me tend to believe there would be a lot of breath being exhaled by 'vocalizing' customers.

[FSogol]

22. Proven science: once you purchase a beer, margarita, or nachos, the virus stays away from you.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

[XanaDUer2]

8. Strange businessman alienating customers

I don't get it.

[genxlib]

9. I would be thankful

For being shown so explicitly why I should not spend my money there.

[struggle4progress]

10. "if you come here, you have to play Russian Roulette! This is my business!"

[Fullduplexxx]

11. Should be a health code violation

[left-of-center2012]

12. "Should be a health code violation"

It's Texas.
They don't like masks.

[Aristus]

25. Or health.

n/t

[struggle4progress]

13. ... the Lone Star State had recorded close to 60,800 COVID-19 deaths

as of September 15. That’s roughly equivalent to the number of people who live in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett ...

https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/09-16-21-washington-post-study-1-in-490-texans-have-died-due-to-covid-19/

[Paladin]

14. Fucking Rowlett. It figures. (nt)

[Ilsa]

24. Yeah, I know.

That family should move to a different part of the metroplex, given that not everyone in their group can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps."

Texas, as a whole is YOYO, except for pols and ceos who can be as corrupt as they want without consequences.

[Paladin]

28. I shouldn't have trashed the whole community.

But I've got a little history with some Rowlett people---none of it good.

[Liberal In Texas]

18. Guys who own sports bars (at least around here) tend to be RW assholes.

It doesn't say, but I hope they got up and walked out.

[onethatcares]

19. I wonder how long it will be

til we get to read:

Tom, the owner and manager of Hang Time bar went to visit Jesus after a long bout of Covid-19.

Tom was a freedumb loving business owner that believed he could stomp all over others rights

but stood behind his waitresses when he needed to .

He leaves behind a bunch of family and a large medical bill.

His gofundme account is .............................

They are accepting cash donations instead of thots and prairs.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

20. The owner did them a favor by kicking them out of his fascist owned breeding ground for

Covid 19.

Low estimate is 123 more killed by covidiot maskholes in Texas yesterday.

[nuxvomica]

21. So much anger, I think the Tinkerbell Effect may be in play here

Remember in Peter Pan how Tinkerbell was fading until the audience clapped to show they believed in her? I think many COVID-deniers "think" that people's acceptance of the existence of COVID is what makes it real, thus getting vaccinated and wearing masks endangers everyone by ensuring the very existence of this disease and all the demonstrations of how dangerous it is simply reinforce this belief. These same people are very vulnerable to the effect because that's what makes TFG a great president, the insistence by his followers that he truly was a great president. It's what fuels the Big Lie, because enough people believe in that too. It's also what makes the Republicans the party of good economies and national security, despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary. Conditioned by religion into this mindset, belief is everything.

BTW, in reading about the Tinkerbell Effect, I learned that J.M. Barrie had to add the concept of "fairy dust" to the play as a necessary prerequisite for flying because many children who were fans had been injured thinking they could fly out of their beds.

[AZLD4Candidate]

23. We the masks causing a public heath issue or a violent disturbance?

No. Idiotic policy.

[spanone]

26. Hey tom, you're an idiot.

[Tommy Carcetti]

27. But he seems so nice on his Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005372689365

[Bettie]

29. He could have avoided having to have a long explanation with one sentence

"I'm a giant asshole!"

Enough said and decent people could avoid his establishment, leaving him with the clientele he deserves.

[tonedevil]

30. If someone told me I could not wear my mask in their establishment...

I would not need to be asked to leave I would take care of that myself. I am reminded of the rule for living that states; If someone tells you a condom won't be necessary it is really necessary.