Antlerman Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Most here know me as a someone who tries to find grounds to build bridges rather than destroy them, but there are times when someone is just out of line and I'll stand my ground in their face. Last night I did just that when I confronted the manager of this Mexican restaurant I've been eating at for many years, more times than can be counted as it's food is one of my favorites in the Twin Cities. As my partner and I were enjoying our drinks and our dinners, I started hearing Amy Grant music piped into the dinning room singing "El shaddai, el shaddai, Erkamka na adonai, I will praise you till I die", followed up by several songs of the band Glad, followed by Out of the Grey, all singing about their love and devotions to the Lord Jesus. Though she was trying to ignore it, I however was unable to say nothing about it. So while she was out pulling our car up, I confronted the manager about the music selection, saying that we have eaten regularly here for years and spent more money there than can easily be counted, and being subjected to someone's Evangelical devotion music during our dinner was inappropriate. His response was to try to lie to me about it. He said "It's Christmas music". To which I countered strongly saying it most certainly was not, and then I listed off the artists I just mentioned above saying that these are Evangelical bands from the 90's and I'm quite familiar with them. I told him I have no problem with Christmas music as it's all part of our cultural traditions, but this is most certainly not that, that it's personal faith music, and for him to be playing this in the owner's restaurant to their paying customers was taken as a form of underhanded proselytizing, trying to get the word out, so to speak. He countered that he believes in God and that his brother is a minister. I responded that I respect that he has his beliefs, and told him that I too had been involved in ministry and had a degree in theology, and as such I well understood the nature of what this music is and how inappropriate it was to play it for paying customers as his captive audience. In the mean time, our waitress grabbed the online play list which had been queued up for that evenings repertoire of music and countered to the manager that it showed they were "Christian" songs, not "Christmas" songs. Meanwhile my partner is up at the front door with our car, looking in watching the manager squirming and putting on his used car sales pitch to his informed customer. His response to the waitress's pointing out the accuracy of my call on the music, was again to counter that he believed in God. At which point I saw no further gains to be made in restating everything I said and made my departure. I may contact the owners, but I may just instead choose to go any one of the few thousand other restaurants in town to spend my money at. If any good came from it, it perhaps was giving that waitress an advocate who had the power to say that playing that music sucks in a restaurant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted December 16, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2008 What a great waitress to speak up like that! I hope she doesn't get in trouble. I think it's a good idea to make the situation known to the owners. Besides, why aren't they playing Mexican music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Good for you. I went to a mental health clinic once that played contemporary xtian music in the waiting room. After a while I asked the lady behind the counter if I could turn the station before I went nuts. No problem turning the station. Many business owners or managers are unaware of what their employees are doing at work, especially restaurants where the owners are almost always absent and leave everything up to the manager. If you liked the place you ate at, let the owners know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Keith, I think you should at least write a letter to the owner, and just do it in a very matter-of-fact way, stating that you have decided to not visit his restaurant anymore because of this incident, and that you will tell all your non-Christian friends about this evangelizing trap and recommend no one, of the people you know, to ever go there. That would put some thoughts into his head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Are these restaurants allowed to play xtian music? I was just wondering if they were because a local Hardee's here awhile back had a gospel band playing there one day and I wondered if they were allowed to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 A restaurant is a private establishment, and you as a customer choose to go there. I think they have the right to play any music they want. However, a business owner is interested in the bottom line, so to make him aware that his choices of music affects his clientele, he (if he's a good businessman) make new choices of music to save his business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looking4Answers Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I just experienced the same thing. I decided to eat out at a Chinese restaurant (love them all you can eat Chinese buffets!) and, after sitting down, I heard the music ... Christian (and not just Christmas)! Frankly, it might not have struck me so hard, but at a Chinese restaurant? It definitely seemed out of place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trike Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Keith, I think you should at least write a letter to the owner, and just do it in a very matter-of-fact way, stating that you have decided to not visit his restaurant anymore because of this incident, and that you will tell all your non-Christian friends about this evangelizing trap and recommend no one, of the people you know, to ever go there. That would put some thoughts into his head. I like this idea. Make sure that you include that you really like his resturant and eat there x times a week, but have decided to find somewhere else to take your business x times a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I like this idea. Make sure that you include that you really like his resturant and eat there x times a week, but have decided to find somewhere else to take your business x times a week. Exactly. Hit them where it hurts, and where it counts, not where your opinion is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstarter Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I am clearly too wrapped up in xmas! I read this subject line as "Dinner with Jesus: I complained to the manger". I was wondering what kind of unique dining experience would have Keith eating out of a manger. I'm with everyone else. You should tell the owner. He needs to know that something his manager is doing is driving away customers. I'm certain I could not swallow without gagging if I was trying to eat while listening to Amy Grant. Heather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I would tell the owner, partly to let him know his waitress might be getting crap from the manager. Also, you may not want to tell them you will "never" eat there again, gives them no reason to change things, instead, especially if you like the food and have never had this happen before, let the owner know you'd LOVE to come back his food is good but you do not want to be subjegated to under handed proselytizing. Who knows you may get a free dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 I am clearly too wrapped up in xmas! I read this subject line as "Dinner with Jesus: I complained to the manger". I was wondering what kind of unique dining experience would have Keith eating out of a manger. ... which raises the whole question of communion. What if you're eating the flesh of the baby Jesus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've been noticing that a lot of the usual annoying xmas music in stores and restaurants is being "filled" with xian music too. It's really annoying. Not only do I have to endure songs about some stupid baby jesus but now I have to hear about how some moron loves the growed up dead, but alive, version too. Blech. I can't get out of those places fast enough. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughtyhamster Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I just experienced the same thing. I decided to eat out at a Chinese restaurant (love them all you can eat Chinese buffets!) and, after sitting down, I heard the music ... Christian (and not just Christmas)! Frankly, it might not have struck me so hard, but at a Chinese restaurant? It definitely seemed out of place. There's a Chinese restaurant which plays Christian music over the intercom in my neck of the woods. Only problem is the place gets so crowded that I always get my food to go so I can enjoy it at home. My grandmother hates going to restaurants these days as the music they play irritates her as she believes that meals should be eaten with no noise of any kind interfering with her "digestion". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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