Good Coffee, Bad Business

[waterboy]

I have to mark another otherwise good business off of my list, at least till the local election ends. That Coffee Shop on Cherry Street has pretty good coffee and is a pleasant place to sit and converse. I will however not frequent any business that is overtly political. Its outdoor decking is plastered with Gomez signs. Of course, I don't support Gomez but that isn't even relevant. You serve a public that has many different political views. You hold yourself out as a coffee shop, a business, not a Republican coffee shop.

In the past I have checked off bars and restaurants that play Fox News on their big screens. I checked off a coffee shop downtown that vigorously opposed river development. Nelson's Buffeteria was hard to write off but very necessary. I just can't be comfortable with political signs surrounding my table or loud mouth Limbaugh wannabe's shouting out their leader's politics. Doesn't matter to me which end of the political spectrum either. Just have never seen left wing examples. Tell me where they are, I'll ignore them too.

Mr. Coffee, enjoy your freedom of speech it may cost you more than you realize. Good coffee can be found anywhere. Its just bad business to take sides.

[TUalum0982]

Why stop there?  Why not eliminate all the restaurants that have the local paper or the NY Times.  They are also political in nature in the editorials and the stories they cover themselves. 

What about establishments that show sporting events such as football, baseball or golf?  Would it offend you that they aren't showing Nascar or NBA? 

The thing is, these establishments have TV's for people on their lunch break, breakfast or dinner to catch up on the news and see what is going on in the world. Good luck finding a restaurant/bar that doesn't show these things on TV and doesnt have a newspaper. 

I am sure you have eliminated about 98% of places in Tulsa havent you?  Starbucks has the Tulsa World and NY Times available, Barnes and Noble has several newspapers from across the country. Now you can't even go out and buy a good book or magazine! that must really suck.

Good luck with your findings. 

[Bubblehead]

I agree on the overabundance of political signs. National franchises decline to support candidates with signs on their stores. They probably know something this coffee shop doesn't.

Wasn't there something from the last city council election about that coffee shop's outdoor seating being in violation?

Maybe they think the Gomez signs will ward off the city inspectors.

[MichaelBates]

I seem to recall the same coffee house sporting "Our River Yes" signs. (I still went there for coffee.) And they had Gomez signs last time around as well. It's my impression that the signs are less about Gomez than his predecessor and some problems over parking and permission to close the street for a special event.

[sgrizzle]

I seem to recall the owners of Topeka on a few candidate's donor lists.

[waterboy]

Newspapers and Nascar? Are you kidding?  I am not offended by either and yes I find many places to dine who don't overtly advertise their politics. They don't force me to pick up the NY Times. I don't care if they support or reject river development, my preference when I eat is to not have their view as a side dish.

Tulsa has become way too political when restaurants and coffee shops become campaign vehicles. Its really dumb business to use your premises for someone elses political gain unless that is your mission. When I pay money for goods and services, I like to think that "I" am their mission.

TUalum: there was a pretty decent restaurant over in Brookside that my wife and I visited one Sunday am. Big screen TV's everywhere, unfortunately tuned to a bowling tournament. A large group of well heeled young patrons came in and respectfully asked if they could watch a Nascar race while they ate. We were the only other couple there and really didn't care. The manager denied them and intimated that it wasn't "that" kind of place. They promptly left in a huff. No doubt told all their friends too. The place closed within 6 months. It was a stupid business decision to enforce the managers preference of sports at the expense of their bottom line.

[Conan71]

I see Waterboy's situation as a win-win.  The coffee shop exercized their right to free speech and Waterboy exercized his.  That's the way it's supposed to work, yes?

I don't personally black-list a restaurant, store, coffee shop, etc. due to their politics, but that's someone else's choice if they want to make it that way.

[TUalum0982]

I just don't understand how just because an establishment has Fox News on that you wont patronize their place of business.  That is absurd.  You mentioned that the places I listed above didnt force you to read the NY Times, these places aren't forcing you to watch Fox News.  If you are out with your wife and/or family you should have plenty of conversation pieces to keep you entertained. 

I also find it kind of childish to say "I am not going to that place, they have Gomez signs out front".  They aren't hammering it down your throat, they are simply giving their opinion of who they most likely are going to vote for.  It's like saying I will not patronize a restaurant because they are known for having the local chevy club meet once a week, and I am a die hard Ford guy.  It was cool maybe in elementary or middle school, but as a grown adult?


I totally see your point about the mgr not changing the channel.  We have a group of friends who we go out with 2 or 3 times a week. If that were to happen with us, I can assure you we would walk out no questions asked, espcieally during football season!

[TheTed]

It only really gets on my nerves when they have Fox News on with the audio blaring. I go to a restaurant to have a nice, relaxing meal. I don't want to hear some angry white guy ranting. That's not relaxing.

I don't want to hear Keith Olbermann ranting either.

If you're in the hospitality business, it's not very hospitable to subject patrons to political propaganda. And it's stupid. As a business owner, you're not gaining anything, you're only losing those whom you've ticked off.

I'm not gonna go dine at some restaurant because they have MSNBC loudly blaring. But I will avoid going to some restaurant if they always have Fox News blaring.

[cannon_fodder]

Is it just me or has Fox News ratcheted up the political slant lately?    I used to defend them because their programming was very conservative, but their news segments were fairly level.  But it really seems the news has gone to the right.

"Next on Fox, how the predictions about strong hurricane seasons were wrong and how that proves the Jews hate Jesus." 

Wait, what? 

Clearly hyperbole, but it seems their stories are much less balanced than they once were.  I guess they have their target audience wrapped up and they can just pander all they want now.  Or maybe the few times I catch it they just are really on a roll.

/tangent

[Conan71]

I do find myself watching less and less national news these days, too filtered for the left or the right.

[waterboy]

What Ted said^ twice over.

You got the point Ted. Its just not good business. Childish or absurd, it alienates customers. I despise Good Morning America because of the insipid repartee, usually about themselves. Fox is political plain and simple (actually their news coverage is pretty good especially locally). No problem with that as long as I'm not paying someone for the privilege of eating their food while that stuff plays on the big screen. Ignoring it is not the point. They don't wave the NY Times in front of my face as I pay to eat their food!

I just don't get the connection with your arguments TUAlum. There is a big difference between car clubs, car brands and politics. One sign saying vote Gomez and I would probably not even notice. Four signs placed strategically facing Cherry Street along your dining area? Thats in your face politics and I don't care to support them. If its part of their branding, such as Newt's Neo-Con Lobster Newberg or Cannon's Libertarian Steak TarTar or Ann Coulter's Obama Burgers, well, I'm forewarned that the nature of the place is political and make my choices.

[carltonplace]

waterboy you should have your coffee at Topeka in the Mayo hotel. Nice place, refurbed old building, the only reading material is Coffee Weekly and the building owners are true downtown enthusiasts that put their money, reputations and heart and soul into reviving a Tulsa landmark.

I think everyone can agree with those politics! 

[Conan71]

waterboy you should have your coffee at Topeka in the Mayo hotel. Nice place, refurbed old building, the only reading material is Coffee Weekly and the building owners are true downtown enthusiasts that put their money, reputations and heart and soul into reviving a Tulsa landmark.

I think everyone can agree with those politics! 

And they sell their own beans grown on their own plantations.  No one else can touch that in Tulsa!

[waterboy]

Topeca sounds good. I'll try them out as soon as I can. Do they use real local peasants to harvest the crop?