I attempted to have dinner with my girlfriend at Hitching Post on Saturday June 2, 2007. While waiting for our table, we were asked by the bartender to produce identification. After producing valid government issued identification, detailing our birth dates in 1976, the bartender refused to serve my girlfriend and attempted to retain her valid driver's license. When I demanded to see the manager, he was rude and made us to plead for the return her license. The manager and the bartender continued to be rude and made disparaging comments. The bartender and the manager clearly violated the Alcohol Beverage Commission's FLAG system for identity verification. A staff member is not entitled to refuse to return a proffered identification. Furthermore, the bartender did not use the FLAG system to evaluate the valid ID, in clear violation of ABC policy. When we attempted to resolve the situation by moving to our table, I was then denied service by virtue of sitting at the same table as my girlfriend, despite having accepted my identification earlier in the evening. Even after producing numerous forms of additional identification (including credit cards and corporate-issued IDs), the manager still refused service to us. He created an environment of hostility in the restaurant, and caused a great deal of public embarrassment. The staff violated the public decorum of customer service, and as a result of their actions caused serious emotional distress for my girlfriend.
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