The Boycott Grows

If you’ve read my previous post then you already know that my restaurant is experiencing a boycott.  Initially, it was only a boycott of two but hey, these movements have to start somewhere.  Two people have informed me that they’ll no longer be dining at Bridge Creek because they disagree with me, the owner and operator of their “favorite restaurant,” at least until now.  And now the boycott has grown to three.  A movement is born.

“This reaffirms why I never liked your restaurant! Since day one I have never appreciated what you brought to town. Thanks for making your private business public so I know where you stand.  To bad you didn't stay wherever you came from In the first place.” 

– Anonymous reply to my earlier blog post (subsequently deleted by its author).

What’s the source of this movement’s disagreement?  Do they not like our decision to feature only Montana-brewed beers on tap?  Are they disappointed that we serve trout from Idaho-based fisheries?  Perhaps it’s because we’ve never once featured a Cabernet Sauvignon from the hill country of Texas.  Maybe they don’t like how we force our staff to NOT work on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Actually, the reason these folks have decided not to “give their money” to me is because I personally support marriage equality.  Turns out, this boycott has nothing to do with our food, our wine or our staff.  It has to do with me.  And this probably came about because I recently had the privilege of cheering on two of my best friends as they finally had the right to walk into our county courthouse and apply for a marriage license.  The local newspaper was there too and I was quoted as saying a few things about how wonderful I believe this all is.

As a business owner I’ve always tried to keep Bridge Creek shielded from political and religious speech.  Bridge Creek is apolitical.  Bridge Creek has never endorsed a candidate let alone made a financial contribution to a campaign.  We’ve never extended a discounted use of our facilities to a political or religious organization that we wouldn’t also extend to organizations with differing or opposing views.  Generally, we’ll do business with anyone.  I just think that’s good business.

When I’m at Bridge Creek, interacting with customers and staff, I generally avoid getting into political or religious conversations.  When I do, I really try to model a willingness to remain open to ideas and not discount other opinions or views.  When I’m away from Bridge Creek and you ask me what I think, I will tell you.  I’ll even debate with you if you want.  I’ll go to rallies and volunteer at phone banks.  And yes, I’ll even (very, very rarely) write checks to support candidates or issues that I care deeply about.

I’m not surprised that some people will struggle to separate Peter from Bridge Creek or Bridge Creek from Peter.  In so many ways, we are the same.  My presence is woven in and throughout this entire enterprise.  Though at any given time there are anywhere from 25 to 50 fantastically talented and dedicated staff people delivering world class hospitality to our guests, it’s unavoidable that I’m the person most identified with this operation.

So it seems pretty natural that if you’re going to lash out at Peter Christ for holding a political or religious view that differs from your own, it’s pretty easy to lash out at Bridge Creek.  Probably much easier than coming at me directly (the anonymous poster above is clearly wanting to limit the scope of their confrontation).  But just because it’s easy, does it make sense?

It’s the disconnect between what Bridge Creek is about (serving great food and wine, providing authentic hospitality, etc.) and what Peter Christ is about (being a father & husband, following Jesus, supporting marriage equality, etc.) that suggests to me that boycotting Bridge Creek doesn’t really make the statement that the boycotters are hoping to make.

Then again, I think I’m guilty of the same misguided endeavor.  But that story is for the next post.