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Ace’s Bartender Back at Work After Taking Sensitivity Classes

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You may recall last month when we broke a story about Bubbles being kicked out of Ace’s for looking queer. It was based on audio in which Bubbles asks the bartender if he was being kicked out for the way he looks and the bartender saying yes.

As you can imagine there was quite a backlash. While Ace’s owner Scott Broccoli stepped up and handled the situation by apologizing profusely and firing Jake, the bartender, immediately, the internet pulled out the pitchforks and torches. Ace’s got slayed and flayed on places like yelp, by many people who’d most likely never even been to the bar. The internet is as the internet does.

Anyways, last week I heard from Broccoli that Jake, a 71 year old Vietnam veteran, had gone to sensitivity training and would be getting his early morning shifts again at Ace’s. I had a phone conversation with the two of them to learn more.

bubbles2

Bubbles, who was kicked out of the bar

Jake: “I never meant anything like this to happen. The only reason I wouldn’t serve him was because I thought there was something going on that I wasn’t sure of and it didn’t seem right. Nothing against him, I just wanted to protect bar. I thought he’d had too much to drink. Working in bars you find that the easiest way to deal with drunk people is just to agree with them and that’s what I was doing. He’s been in before and I’d served him.”

Broccoli: “Jake went to sensitivity training. He went and did it on its own and came back with a certificate. That meant a lot to Ace’s that he did this on his own, so we gave him his job back. He understand he handled it incorrectly. He’s an old guy who handled the situation poorly and he feels terrible.”

Jake: “Honestly I meant no harm. Nothing against him. I thought he’d had too much to drink. I just handled it wrong. I’m just trying to do the best I can. Taking the course was a good thing. I learned a lot and now I understand that things are different than when I grew up.”

Broccoli: “We don’t argue that he handled the situation poorly but we thought he earned himself a second chance. Plus he’s 71 years old. Where else is he gonna work? I know Jake will be a better bartender, I’ll be a better owner, and Ace’s will be a better bar.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.