PR: Activists to demonstrate against Bardstown Bristol

...I misread it. It appeared you were part of the group calling out the troops for a protest which really surprised me. I see now that you were posting a press release. See what happens when we jump to conclussions? I apologize, I should have known better.

As for a public statement, I think they are in a catch-22. If the story is false, a denial would be a PR nightmare and an apology an admission of guilt they do not own. If the story is true, they have been put in a situation with the lawsuit that they have no choice buy keep quiet.

This may be the epitome of the old saying, “Speech may be silver lined but silence is golden”.

I refuse to do business there because of the way they fought the smoking ban....

on a side note- this is a sentiment that is increasingly common, and in my opinion compete B.S.

You know what? You won. One of your points for pushing for a smoking ban was that business would INCREASE for bars and restaurants...in fact, and this is at numerous places I have talked to, it has NOT. Restaurants campaigned against a ban because they wanted their business to stay at the same level, and as they predicted is has dropped.

You won your case, you got what you wanted. Don't try and fault small businesses because you don't like the fact that their most loyal customers smoke. That's not their fault.

Of course, if Bristol indeed was a part of the incident with the Corey, that's horrendous, and I don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but ENOUGH with the smoking crap, YOU WON. Celebrate your victory by going out and proving those who were opposed to the ban wrong.

AMEN BROTHER! I have a disability and I smoke so I guess I was shown discrimination by the smoking ban. Bristol's manager in this event was an idiot and should be dealt with. But that ban should have been left to the business people that own those establishments period.
If smoke offends every one so much they could go to a non-smoking establishment or eat OUTSIDE in the rain and wind and snow. Think about it.

I'll be watching the news closely to see how all this plays out. Frankly I'm a bit surprised that the Bristol didn't take care of this immediately when/if they were offered the chance to apologize. Doug Gossman is an astute business man having been in business here, very successfully, for many years. Apart from being business savvy, I'd say he was a kind person as well. Either there is more to this story than we know or Doug Gossman has been out of town for all of it because I simply don't see him sitting back and allowing the kind of horrifically rude behavior that this manager has been accused of go unchecked.
I'm not ready to jump on the "screw the Bristol " bandwagon until all the information come out. If it comes out that the information we have now is correct and that manager isn't fired and some kind of atonement made to the victim then I will be gravely disappointed with the Bristol and any current owners.

[Robin Garr]

As for a public statement, I think they are in a catch-22. If the story is false, a denial would be a PR nightmare and an apology an admission of guilt they do not own. If the story is true, they have been put in a situation with the lawsuit that they have no choice buy keep quiet.

This may be the epitome of the old saying, “Speech may be silver lined but silence is golden”.

I'm not a PR counselor, and in fact I generally react negatively to PR counselors. But if I were giving the Bristol PR advice, I would say that in this setting, with a publicity storm bursting around them - fair or unfair - silence looks bad, and a clear, kind statement, vetted by the lawyers, would go a long way to reassure a public that largely wants to say, "Say it ain't so, Bristol."

Something like this would go a very long way: "Hospitality has always been a part of our 30 year tradition, and our loyal customers know that we are dedicated to making everyone feel welcome; we regret that we are unable to comment now on this specific case because of pending litigation."

Yes, I would feel a great deal better if that were done. I'm very surprised they haven't done just that and I got to wonder 'Why?"

This whole situation is just sad. If it is true, then I'm sad that this type of callousness still exists and am especially disappointed in the Bristol. If it isn't true, then I'm saddened by the catch-22 that The Bristol would find themselves in and disheartened by the mark on their reputation.

As self-employed people, all we have is our name and reputation. Once it has been tarnished, whatever the status of the allegations, it is sometimes impossible to regain.

I just hope that the events of this evening will be without incident ....

Being there is a lawsuit; any good lawyer (RON???) will tell you that Bristol Management is most certainly not allowed to speak on the matter.

I'm a lawyer and while it is true that Bristol's lawyers cannot speak on the matter without approval, it is also true that Bristol can authorize them to make a generalized statement. "These accusations are very unfortunate and we assure the city of Louisville and our loyal clients that they are being looked into very seriously...blah, blah, blah" They could even take it upon themselves to make such a statement without the aid of their attorneys. All I'm saying is that I'm surprised they wouldn't use this time to do so - I would think their attorneys would encourage them to.

While we can't sit in on meetings between Bristol and their attorneys, civil suits are open records (unless the Judge seals them), which means anyone can go to the court clerk's office, request the record and read Bristol's response when they file it.

It appears that you have a personal link to Bristol through your friend. I have also known lots of people that have worked at the Bristol and most of them at that location in particular. It's very unfortunate that everyone will have to suffer because of this situation.

[Robin Garr]

I asked management of the Bristol to please consider a response, hoping to address at least some of the issues that have been raised in this controversy, but as expected, they are very limited in what they can say because of the litigation.

However, I've been given this statement from the Bristol and am happy to share it with you all:

<B>The Bristol Bar & Grille has, for 30 years, been a good citizen of Louisville, dedicated to providing quality service to the people of this community,---all people, without exception. The allegations asserted in the lawsuit do not reflect the longstanding, and long demonstrated, values of the Bristol Bar & Grille. However, because a lawsuit has been filed, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the allegations at this time.</b>

Way to go Robin! Talk about getting the people what they've asked for. Good for Bristol for at least acknowledging the public's concern.

I am sure the Bristol lawyers have told them not to say anything. It is unfortunately in the litigous society that we live in that a business can not defend itself publically. That's the system. Happy anniversary to Doug, can't wait until you have the opportunity to fight back.

Oh well great ...now I'm craving artichoke fritters!

Who cares about facts? lets run off half cocked and burn the Bristol down...besides we heard half the story isn't that enough?

Another vote for the fact that there are 2 sides to the story. Also, for those of you who didn't know, Doug's father passed away about 2 weeks ago.

I agree that no one should be discriminated against for any disability, and hopefully many people will be more understanding and kind to those who have disabilities after the publicity.