The Griffin Tavern...No Mas!

06/18/2007

The Griffin Tavern is a neat little English Pub and Restaurant in Flint Hill, VA.  The Nancy and I have been visiting the Griffin for nearly five years, perhaps longer.  We would hardly be called regulars, but we have stopped there at least eight to ten times a year.  We don’t bring them an enormous amount of business, but we probably spend $500 to $600 there every year.  I know we average over $50 each time, sometimes much more, especially when we have guests, and that happens once or twice each year.  I love this place, the atmosphere, the beer and some of the menu items (though I believe the old chef is better than the new).  Sunday, Father’s Day, I gave them my final notice.  I used to love the place, but I won’t be going back.

The Nancy and I visited the Griffin about three months ago where we encountered a real bonehead, ignorant, SOB sucking on his fetish substitute.  The odor from this rancid, cancer spreading apparatus was unbearable.  My eyes were burning within seconds after this idiot finished his meal and decided to ruin everyone else’s by lighting up a very gross smelling cigar.  The owners tacitly encourage these goofballs to light up and even provides them with specially shaped ashtrays designed to hold the “weapons of mass desertion.” Some customers – those with Cajones Grande, or just good sense – turn and exit the place at the first hint of the foulest odor known to man in a restaurant.  I commend their smart decision.  There is nothing fun about a smoke filled, foul smelling restaurant.

I don’t believe my olfactory sense is greater than the average human, so my outrage at this affront seems to me to be quite average.  Some people grin and bear rudeness, but I choose to make my displeasure known.  The Nancy gets a little upset with me when I voice my displeasure openly and with the offender in earshot of my complaint.  Personally, I don’t know why some cigar smoker could possibly be offended by my simply stating he sucks on a cigar because he is afraid of what it will make him if he takes the test with the real thing.  I wonder is cigar smokers would be upset if I continuously farted while I sat next to them?

If restaurants like the Griffin wish to deny the reality that this policy costs it many customers and drives them away, so be it.  I have given my notice; I will not be going back, unless the smoking policy changes.  At some point, the Commonwealth of Virginia will have to join the civilized world and ban smoking altogether in businesses catering to the public.  It will come, and until that time, or the time the Griffin rectifies its stance, my $500 plus will go elsewhere…dammit.

And all I have to say that is about that…