Asked to leave Sweetwater Tavern in Centreville VA

[DickSki]

My wife wrote this letter to the CEO of the parent company and cced the President and the Operations Manager.

Dear Mr. Norton,

I hope this email finds you well.

This past Sunday night my husband and I dined, with 7 of our friends, at Sweetwater Tavern in Centreville VA.

We had all remarked that, while the service staff were all extremely cheerful and friendly, the service was extremely slow. However, this is not the reason I write you today. During our meal, my husband and I took a seat at your bar area to have a cigarette. This is where our evening turned sour and when we decided that we will no longer be bringing our business to Sweetwater Tavern.

My husband, is an American citizen who exercises his constitutional right to bear arms. He holds a Virginia Conceal Carry Permit and is a responsible gun owner. As it is his right to do so, my husband carries his gun with him at all times. According to Virginia state law, despite the fact that he is authorized to carry a concealed hand gun, he is required to open-carry in places where alcohol is sold. Sunday evening, in accordance with Virginia state law, he was openly carrying his gun in a holster at Sweetwater Tavern. After a few members of the kitchen staff took notice of the gun on his hip, word spread among the staff quickly. Within minutes, we were approached by the manager and asked to leave.

Before the manager asked us to leave, he asked my husband if he was a law enforcement officer. My husband is a Marine Sergeant with experience working with the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. His training and experience with weapons and security is obviously extensive, vast and varied. There are many reasons my husband could have listed which would have, in the mind of your manager, justified his carrying openly. However my husband did not outline any of his vocational experience or training as it is irrelevant. My husband was openly
carrying in your restaurant because he is a law abiding citizen and is
completely within his right to do so. That reasoning was not enough for your manager. So we left immediately without protest.

While we certainly appreciate your right to turn away patrons at your own discretion, we're extremely disappointed in your policy and annoyed that you have not proudly posted your policy outside the establishment. Had you done so, we and well over 150,000 carriers would skip dining at "Great American Restaurants'" establishments and be saved the embarrassment and inconvenience of being
asked to leave.

It is worth pointing out the great irony in having a collection of restaurants with predominant themes of Americana and Wild West curio (guns mounted on the walls etc.) while being a brazen malefactor of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

I would like to suggest that you make your policy on guns more explicit. Notify customers of your policy before they choose to offer their patronage not after.

Kind Regards,

~

* We left without paying. They have a "no-guns" policy and we have a "we don't pay if we're told to leave" policy :)

** The 150,000+ carriers I'm referring to is only the number of CCW holders in the state of VA as of 2 months ago.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Holdcard]

Good letter. You never know, it may help the cause. It's common for businesses not to know the law. Once informed of it they may see the light, on the other hand they may simply post all of their restaurants.

Holdcard

[David in FL]

Great letter.

If I may recommend, a copy to your State Legislator might help to demonstrate the absurdity of requiring open carry in such a situation.

Semper Fi to the Marine and his Lady!

[cdwolf]

Very well written, If it wasn't on their minds ...It is now.
Hit them in the money. What A lot of people don't realize that 150,000 carriers, are mostly the husbands in the marriage. We don't get to pick much but on some things we won't budge! Thats 300 to 400 thousand people that wont be doing business there!!
Keep us updated.

[bandit383]

Very nice letter, well reasoned...will be interested if you get a reply.

Rick

[Janq]

Very well written with no histrionics and just keeping to the facts.

- Janq

[packinnova]

Well written letter. Copy VCDL and/or John and Mike over at OCDO if you don't mind. This is the kind of word that needs to get around(especially in VA).

There are those businesses that don't think that they're going to lose any significant amount of money or number of patrons over it. We need to prove them wrong.

[elrey718]

very nice and please please update us on if they give u a reply.

[ExactlyMyPoint]

Very well written letter. I would be interested in hearing the response.

If I were the manager, I would have asked you to move...by the cash register.

[jongle]

My philosophy is if they don't like my pistol, they don't get my money.

[DickSki]

Well written letter. Copy VCDL and/or John and Mike over at OCDO if you don't mind. This is the kind of word that needs to get around(especially in VA).

There are those businesses that don't think that they're going to lose any significant amount of money or number of patrons over it. We need to prove them wrong.

Thanks. We've notified VCDL as well and are posting this letter on other websites. If businesses are going to adopt and enforce these policies they should know that they are going to lose business.

[Fultonian]

I am really surprised that they didn't ask you to pay since you had already eaten.

Did your friends leave as well? Did they pay for their meals?

[DickSki]

I am really surprised that they didn't ask you to pay since you had already eaten.

Did your friends leave as well? Did they pay for their meals?

Our friends paid shortly after and met us outside.

If they ask me to leave they're simply not getting paid.

[dukalmighty]

I understand you're frustration but in most states even if you're asked to leave after finishing you're meal and you refuse to pay for said food and services it is considered "theft",apparently the management comped your meal but before everybody takes a stand you're putting me out i'm not paying be aware of possible consequences,and if meal was "pricey" enough charges could be a felony

[JimmyC4]

Good job on the letter--articulate, firm and professional.

It is a reminder that there is a benefit for the carry community as a whole when any of us is assertive in exercising our rights.