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New York Bar Refuses To Serve Man Wearing Pro-Trump Hat, Gets Sued

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 12:24 PST, Mar 20, 2017

A Philadelphia man is suing a New York Bar for discrimination after employees there refused to serve him because he wore a pro-Trump hat. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on January 28, just over a week after Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of The United States.

On the day of the incident, 30-year-old Greg Piatek, an accountant from Philadelphia walked into The Happiest Hour Bar located on West 10th Street with two other friends. The group was at the bar at around 6:20 p.m, local time, shortly after a visit to the 9/11 memorial. While their initial order of a $15 jalapeño margarita and beer was served to them without issues by a female bartender, Greg’s pro-Trump hat with the text “Make America Great Again” was noticed by a male bartender who was about to serve them. After the bartender noticed the hat, he skipped the group and went ahead to serve another person sitting nearby. When one of Piatek’s friends asked for an explanation as to why they were not served, the bartender replied: “Is that hat a joke?”

It was then that Greg realized that the text on the hat was not visible to the bartenders earlier. Only after he turned his back to the bar did the bartenders see the pro-Trump slogan. When the bartender continued to ignore them, he told him he following.

“Ignoring me because I’m wearing the hat is ridiculous. It’s really sad.”

Upon saying this, the bartender did get the group a second round. However, Greg claims that he literally slammed the drinks down on the table. After this, a third bartender, this time a female employee who got involved, also countered Greg and asked him about his hat. Greg claims that the bartender shouted at him and asked if his hat was for real or just a joke.

“I can’t believe you would support someone so terrible and you must be as terrible a person!” she allegedly told Piatek, who said he was not even trying to order a drink when the bartender confronted him.

“I wasn’t even trying to order a drink, and she said, ‘Don’t even try to order from me. I won’t get you a drink,'” Piatek said.

Following this, Greg Piatek asked for a manager to be called. In the lawsuit, Greg claims that the manager confirmed to the group that he has talked to the owner of the bar and was told that “Anyone who supports Trump or believes what you believe is not welcome here. And you need to leave right now because we won’t serve you!”

The website of The Happiest Hour bar describes the place as “a whimsical new cocktail bar and full-service restaurant by Acme’s Jon Neidich and veteran New York bartender Jim Kearns.”

After the incident came to light, the bar has received several negative reviews on Google Maps. One of the reviews read as follows.

“Not impressed with the owner or the service provided to their customers. Will NOT return here ever again & will tell all my friends to steer clear of such a horrid place. Oh, and your treatment of Trump supporters is abysmal. I thought liberals loved everyone! but it looks like you only love people who agree with your views. #loserbullies”

Another person wrote, “I come into this business every time I come into the city for business. Now knowing this place is anti-Trump. Several associates and myself will be going elsewhere. Great business move”

The owner of The Happiest Hour Jon Neidich has yet to respond to the lawsuit on the incident which has been described by Piatek’s lawyer, Paul Liggieri, as “humiliating.” Do you think it was correct on the part of the Bar to refuse service to someone who had a different opinion?

[Featured Image By Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC By SA 2.0]

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