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The Crimes of Bert & Ernie

9/16/2018

58 Comments

 
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Left: Bruce Finkelman & Will Duncan; Right: Bert & Ernie

To eliminate the potential for false reports via retelling, I’d like to personally announce that as of September 12, I have been fired from Punch House. According to Robert Boyd, the Bar Manager who fired me - Jeffrey Van Der Tuuk was present, but despite being the General Manager he refrained from saying anything, or making eye contact - this was apparently a decision made by Bruce Finkelman and Will Duncan, and not a direct representation of the feelings of management at Punch House/Dusek’s. Several months ago, Bruce and Will attempted to fire me due to my “attitude” - I routinely asked for more help in our busy basement bar, the only bar in the building (except Thalia Hall, of course) to actually make a profit. But help was rarely - if ever - given, and for this reason, I was deemed “difficult” and “disrespectful.”

The reason for my termination was an incident that I posted on Facebook for about two minutes, before thinking better of it and taking it down. We were understaffed, as usual - three bartenders, one of whom had only worked there for a few shifts - and a brand new server, who was extremely competent but like all newcomers still struggling to keep up with our intense volume. That left me on the floor largely alone, and hopping behind the bar to help do dishes. We filled up quickly, and I was taking care of at least 14 tables, many of which were community tables split into separate parties, and one ever-growing party of 30. I was also helping cocktail to standing patrons, as well as getting ice for the bar and retrieving punch kegs from the back kitchen coolers (a bartender/busser/manager’s job). In short, we were proper fucked. I had a guest come up to me and hand me cash, saying that she was astonished and impressed at how hard I was working, clearly doing several people’s jobs at once.

However, one of my tables in the back room was less than impressed. They took their time writing a lengthy note on the back of their closed out check, which I read upon going to buss their table (we haven’t had a busser scheduled to work in our bar in months). The table must’ve been vocal about their displeasure with my service, because once I finished reading it and looked up, I noticed at least three tables in the room were looking at me, waiting for a reaction. It was nothing short of humiliating. I pride myself on giving exceptional service, and I had failed this party. Part of their note indicated that they had wanted to close out to cash, but I had accidentally closed them out with their card (we take cards from all parties, to ensure there are no walk-outs). I caught them on the stairs on their way out and apologized for their poor service, taking full responsibility for their sub-par experience. I offered to void their payment so they could close out in cash, like they wanted, but they declined and walked away. I was upset, but I composed myself and walked back downstairs to continue taking care of my 50+ guests.

About twenty minutes later Daniel Wat, the floor manager, found me and asked if I was okay. I said, “No, I am not. You have given us three bartenders, one of whom is very inexperienced, on a night we normally have four. We have a brand new server who is doing her best, but we are struggling to keep up. We have no bussers. This is the first I have seen a manager down here all night. We are getting swamped. I am being spread too thin, and a table complained with the single cruelest insult I have ever received in my 8+ years experience in this industry. I followed them out to try to fix it - something that could have been avoided if a manager had been down here to check on tables. But we’re alone down here. Now please get out of my way.” I have eye witnesses who can attest to this account as well. It would be prudent to mention at this point that I did not see Daniel Wat again for the remainder of the night, despite making it extremely obvious that we needed managerial help. Apparently he forgot he was a manager and that he ought to have stayed and helped us.

Clearly “word got around” about me “chasing a table outside,” and despite the fact that I was doing everything in my power to rectify the situation, I was told that Bruce and Will were “not happy with how the situation was handled, and I could no longer work here.” I asked Robert and Jeff if I could speak to Bruce and Will, to explain my side of the story, and was emphatically told no. I am being punished for trying to fix something that a manager should've done. The managers are not receiving blame for this - I am.

I have worked at this company for almost two years - would’ve been exactly two years next month. I was promoted to bartender last month. Management has made it clear to me more than once that I “ran Punch House,” along with one or two other incredibly hard-working individuals.

To give a bit of history, I got on Bruce Finkelman’s bad side about six months ago. This is a man who has notoriously read one or two unkind Yelp reviews about a particular server, then showed up at one of his restaurants unannounced to grill them into an anxiety-reduced cowering state and dramatically fire them mid-shift (regardless of whether or not a server deserves to be let go, that should NEVER be the way to do it). Earlier this year, I was at one of our sister restaurants with some women from work. The executive chef of Dusek’s was there, saw us, said hi, and kindly offered to see if we could get a free appetizer. We weren’t expecting anything free, but it was a kind gesture. Next thing we know, Bruce is walking over to us - he clearly vetoed the free app idea - but was helping our server carry 5 free shots of well whiskey. Again, we were not expecting anything free to begin with, but it didn’t make Bruce look great to have the option offered, and then be given this obviously paltry backup instead. My friends and I were drinking and having a good time, and perhaps the libations went to my head, because as Bruce dropped them off, with a wink and grandiose proclamation of, “I would be remiss not to offer these to you ladies on a birthday, and of course to remind you all that I can still carry a drink!” I couldn’t help myself, and cheekily replied, “Thank you, Bruce… but do you know any of our names?” We all squealed in laughter, it was a joke, nothing more. He blushed, muttered something indiscernible, then disappeared. We did not see him again.

I only share this anecdote because about a week later, while working at Punch House, a gentleman had a complaint about a cash dispute that I could not solve without a manager. I went upstairs to retrieve one when I bumped into Bruce, who overheard me tell a manager what happened. The manager and I went downstairs to work on the situation, and Bruce followed me to the POS station where I continued taking orders and closing out checks. I turned around, surprised he was right behind me. “Everything okay?” I asked him, confused by his presence. He was livid. “Your behavior upstairs was out of control,” he began. What? “You looked absolutely FUCKING CRAZY. Do you know that? You looked FUCKING CRAZY. We cannot have you walking around amongst our guests looking like a FUCKING CRAZY person. Do you need a minute to go outside and compose yourself? Because you shouldn’t be here right now, in your state.” A former waitress can attest as a witness that this happened. He cornered me, accosted me, and accused me of looking “fucking crazy” not once, but three times. 

Punch House gets “fucking crazy.” I do not. Nor should that EVER be the vernacular or disposition of an owner to a waitress during a high-stress moment that frankly had nothing to do with him. I did my best to laugh the situation off, and assured Bruce, “Thank you for your concern about my composure, but I’m pretty sure I have a table to get to.” A month or so later, Bruce “randomly” decided that I should be fired. I didn’t find out about this until a few weeks ago. According to Robert Boyd, management “really fought for me” and he assured me that Bruce regularly went on “random rampages” like these, having recently cleaned out a number of staff members at Money Gun (another sister bar in our company). I just had to keep my head down and wait it out. It would appear that in an attempt to clean house, this company - under the lethal and poor management of Bruce Finkelman - consistently amputates its most vital working limbs.

Since working for this company, I have endured: consistent understaffing, bullying from co-workers (namely the bussers who refused to work in our bar anymore and preferred to work in the fine dining location upstairs, because we were “too busy” and it was “too much work,” but had no problem coming downstairs to our bar after their shift to drink for free while pointing and laughing at us as we did their jobs), and a complete lack of knowledge from the current managers - specifically Daniel Wat, the exceptionally kind but severely incompetent excuse for an authority figure who has mastered the art of apologizing but has yet to show any growth in the departments of paying attention, intuitively assisting his staff, or making the slightest of efforts to further educate himself about the bars that he pretends to manage - a man who’s job I had to perform regularly, as have my co-workers, because he was too distracted or too inept to do so himself, a man who was put on “shot probation” from taking too many shots while he was on the clock. This man still has his job, but I do not.

I have endured sexual harassment from a former Bar Manager - a man so aggressive and manipulative that it took over a dozen accounts of his harassment before he was “given the choice of quitting,” robbing his many victims of even seeing him terminated. I have endured unwanted sexual advances from the current General Manager, Jeff Van Der Tuuk, whom I have witnessed 1) purchase cocaine from an employee, 2) do cocaine with an employee, 3) come into work on his night off so black out drunk that he could not speak, and had to literally hold an employee’s hand as he was gently escorted from the building (in front of customers, during full dinner service in Punch House), 4) sent me texts at 4am after remaining inebriated in the building (during his shift), asking me if I wanted to do cocaine and have sex with him in the restaurant. This man still has his job, but I do not.

I have endured raw sewage backup from the shower stall in our dish pit - the location where we dump discarded beverages, mop water, and vomit - sludge up from the drains in our bar during full service, leaving the bartenders to muck about it in it for four hours before the situation was handled, despite pleas from staff and guests that we should shut down (we were later told that Bruce and Will agreed that we should’ve ended service that night, but Jeff Van Der Tuuk refused to listen to us). Lauren Amos, a current manager there, was on our side, but was overridden. It is prudent to mention that is the only person of authority currently working in that building who has ever shown consistent dedication, compassion, and the remotest spark of intelligence. I witnessed her do the work of her three male counterparts while doing her own and never once break a sweat or forget to smile. But even her unparalleled work ethic could not right all the wrongs that went on in that building.

I have endured raw fecal water falling from the ceiling above the dish pit during dinner service - and yes, some of that contaminated water fell not only on my face, but on dinner plates going up to Dusek’s! It was not until I stormed upstairs and yelled at a manager (Daniel Wat) to tell the dishwashers - who had cloth towels wrapped around their faces to diffuse the stench - that they needed to step outside until it was fixed (“Oh, yeah, good idea, I forgot about them…” he said).

I have endured well-meaning but inept security guards whom I have witnessed first hand tell me and other waitresses that the patrons we deemed problematic, inebriated, or a threat to our safety that “those guys are fine; they threw up in the bathroom, they’re getting a second wind; let’s just let them stay and see what happens; you’re overreacting.” I have witnessed security guards trying to rouse a woman from her sleep in a booth in Punch House, who was so inebriated she couldn’t speak (and none of us had served her, she came in like that!) and had to sift through her purse on my hands and knees to find her wallet, hoping to call a cab for her - all I found was a Green Card, and no photo ID. How did she get past our door guy to begin with? These door guys still have their jobs, but I do not.

I have endured a spontaneous health inspection check, in which our sous vide and cryo-vac machine - two pieces of industrial restaurant equipment for which I was told they do NOT have the correct permits - were stashed into the elevator and the liquor cage, two places the inspector would not look. The sous vide - a machine that holds the temperature of a large pan of water to ensure even cooking - was unplugged, and filled with half-cooked beef patties for our famous Juicy Lucy burgers. The inspection took place during the day, while I was working a Bar Prep shift. I was told to stay in the closed quarters of Punch House, where our current Bar Manager Robert Boyd was quickly cleaning and hiding various bottles and instruments throughout the bar. I asked why I couldn’t continue doing my prep work, and he informed me that it was because the mixing and re-selling of pre-packaged liquors - the base of every single one of our twelve namesake punches we sell - was technically illegal in the state of Illinois. Apparently this was a code that many Illinois health inspectors overlook, because we’re not the only bar who does it - okay, sure, I’ve been working in this industry long enough to know that plenty of bars and restaurants have their own unique ways of skirting the system.

What punched me in the gut was when I saw two kitchen employees struggle to stash the sous-vide machine in the elevator, looking sweaty and sheepish as I caught their eyes. “Just doing what we’re told,” they said, embarrassed. I looked to my manager. “They’re not going to save the meat patties just sitting in that water, are they?” I asked, horrified. Robert shrugged; this was clearly a decision far above his menial pay grade. “Um, yeah, maybe don’t eat the Juicy Lucy’s here for a few days,” he muttered, as he tucked another keg of punch into a forgotten, moldy cupboard.

I have endured waitressing and bartending while being packed over-capacity and understaffed, with absolutely no management presence to speak of - and then later chastised for making what were deemed as “managerial decisions” in their absence. I have endured the overhaul of our previous POS system, causing a radical change to our system for documenting our tips - the primary reason anyone would bother staying in this profession - so that they were calculated in their entirety, despite the fact that my particular bar pools tips; in short, my paycheck went from $350/two weeks to $100-200/two weeks for reasons that management could never give me directly.

By the request of Robert Boyd, the Bar Manager, upon being trained to bartend at Punch House, I was asked to begin filling out the “manager log” every night when I counted the money and distributed everyone’s tips - a practice that has always been a managerial duty, one I have never been required to do in the 5+ bars I’ve ever worked at. When I asked Robert if this new task came with a pay raise, I was told that “if I didn’t want the best bartending shifts” (the ones that required this new managerial task) “then they can easily be given to somebody else.”

And I am not the only one who has endured this. I am one of dozens. I have watched Jeff Van der Tuuk sexually harass a girl to the point of her own termination, I have witnessed him arbitrarily terminate his drug dealer of two years (a fellow co-worker), and now I have been terminated under his jurisprudence, the only other known woman to receive unwanted sexual advances from Jeff as well. Is he just trying to clean up his extremely dirty trail? If so, he has done a poor job. Almost as poor a job as Bruce Finkelman has done running his businesses, falling for the age-old mistake of drilling a kitchen into the ground (with a suspiciously high turnover of chefs) so it just barely breaks even, and then eagerly opening a shiny and new one to distract investors from his financial failings. Meanwhile, he cleans up a pretty penny in bonus checks every year from the literally bleeding hands of his countless plebeians.

Thalia Hall/Dusek’s/Tack Room/Punch House gets a lot of bad publicity for being the gentrifying capital of Pilsen, the “Heart of Chicago.” In truth, this building employs a diverse crowd, and does their part to keep a variety of acts coming through the Thalia Hall doors to ensure that folks from all walks of life feel welcome. They have made a substantial effort to maintain the integrity of the building, to avoid falling prey to the “gray-ification” of Pilsen as well, something I have always admired - even if it meant a spiral staircase down to our bar that was out of Chicago’s health code, leaky pipes that routinely dripped on patrons in the aisles of Punch House, or baseboard tiles that could not contain the overflow of rainwater on stormy days, causing massive flooding at the bottom of the stairs and behind the bar, requiring only the humblest of workers (and occasionally patrons) to get on their hands and knees and assist in mopping up the accident waiting to happen. Ever been at Dusek’s on a rainy day and noticed a funky smell? The mops that are used to mop up the raw sewage leaks are the same ones used to mop the restaurant floors upstairs.

I worked for Punch House for two years, and I am in shock that this is how it has ended. I deserved better. Everyone there deserves better. Pilsen deserves better. Behold, the mockery that was my downfall: Bruce Finkelman & Will Duncan, our own personal Bert & Ernie, the two-faced, manipulative, egotistical, fragile, toxic monsters suffocating the Heart of Chicago with their overripe mold and charismatic disease of privilege and corruption. May the truth come out and be heard, before the reverberations from the inevitable stroke destroy the neighborhood beyond recovery.
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I know that I am not alone in my experience with 16 on Center. Perhaps many of my former coworkers will be too intimidated to speak up, because of the environment of fear and arbitrary punishment that Bruce Finkelman has fostered in his restaurants. But for the many of you out there who have also been terminated on unjust grounds, please share this post. Please share your stories. Jeff Van Der Tuuk, Bruce Finkelman, and Will Duncan should not have jobs in the Chicago restaurant industry. Perhaps if we all start blowing the whistle, someone will finally hear us, and believe us.

Chicago health codes:

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58 Comments
Lindsey
9/17/2018 02:07:27 pm

I shared your post via a friend on Facebook, and a friend of mine who is a Labor Law lawyer in Chicago asked that I give you her info. Can you email me so I can pass along her info to you privately?

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Sarah
9/19/2018 06:44:06 am

Yes, please do! Thank you for your support! sarah.joanou@gmail.com

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R.
11/6/2018 04:42:06 am

I am a former 16 on center employee who was terminated from my position after a full year full of f constant harrassment from my onsite management team. I was initially removed and denied any and all work opportunity but not fired or suspended, I was just not allowed to work nor pick up any work in my position. I addressed the situation with Andrew Zen the head of HR and was offered to return to work by my GM but only at a demoted position with a over a 50% pay cut. Due to my financial situation at the time (not being allowed to work for multiple months) I was forced to take the position. They promised that I only needed to be "re trained" to assume my former position and that they would make every effort to have that happen immediately. I was told about training classes and manuals that never came. All while management were telling my colleagues things to the contrary and speaking quite unkind about me when I was not in the room. My employ with the company has come to an end, but I am in the process of filing discrimination charges against the company for my treatment. All in all, I dont think this company cares anything about its employees or how they are treated by management. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this stories and mines aren't the only ones when it comes to 16 on center. I know I'm going to pursue my case, I wish you the best with yours. Let me know if I can help u in anyway.

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Slave for too long
9/17/2018 09:29:48 pm

I worked for Finkelman for years, and can corroborate by saying the incidents Sarah describes are par for the course for him, and sound all too familiar to things I too have endured. I hope to see more stories posted here, especially from other female employees. He is a slumlord of bosses.

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Maggie
9/18/2018 07:28:04 am

Before I began my job at Rape Victim Advocates, I helped open Dusek's. I believe you, this is not your fault and you are far from alone in this.

Feel free to reach out if you want to talk.

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Alexis
9/18/2018 09:02:49 am

I hate that this happened. And honestly, from all the people I've met who either still work for that restaurant or have worked there, have never had anything positive to say about their experience. I went through something similar at Alliance Bakery. The owner of that bakery tried to withhold my last paycheck. He accused me of stealing money from his bakery, despite me being the manager trying to resolve it the best way possible, with the resources I had (in that, I couldn't keep the deposit's secure since we had no lock box, he didn't think hiding it was a good idea and took his time buying a security box). He even accused me of a theft when I was on a beach in Miami! Despite all that, I continued to work for him, was eventually demoted, from a salary to 9$ an hour two days a week (obviously to get me to quit so I couldn't apply for unemployment). Eventually, they found who was stealing the money, I was never given an apology. I definitely will not be going back to either of those places and I hope everyone who reads this does the same.

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Amy
9/18/2018 10:09:26 am

I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I worked at the Empty Bottle 5 years ago. Bruce hired me because he said I was “cute”. I worked as a bartender. The buildings basement on the Bite side overflowed with fecal water and waste. Literally shit, piss, and toilet paper. He made me and one other clean it up. It was my first job in Chicago clearly Bruce takes advantage of young workers to save on paying professionals. Everything you’ve written I can see happening and I believe every word. I’ve heard of others who work in their other restaurants talking of use of cocaine and managers inappropriately spending time with their staff. You are clearly an asset at any job you work at and in soo sorry anyone has ever treated you less then you deserve 💗

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ihearyou
9/18/2018 10:46:59 am

i worked at empty bottle years ago and bruce tried to get us employees to clean up old asbestos in the basement by telling us it wasn't asbestos. when we called him out on this he threatened to fire us. 100% illegal. bruce is the epitome of self-serving, entitlement. i'm so sorry you had to endure these working conditions. you deserve better.

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Anokha
9/18/2018 08:26:24 pm

Obvs we were co-workers. FYI if by any shit chance you develop mesothelomia I established a file with a non-skeezy killer law firm where I kept track of everything with photos, documents, interviews with contractors, etc. Was advised sadly nothing is actionable until/unless someone gets sick, but seeing my best friend's mom die from asbestos exposure really hits home how ignoring established environmental hazards is literally a matter of life and death.

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Sarah
9/19/2018 06:53:38 am

If you feel comfortable, please do email me with any photos/documents/interviews you might still have. I can't promise you the legal justice you deserve, but I can at least do my part to publicize it with the platform I have for right now. I was not anticipating my story to go public as much as it has, but it feels like there are finally enough of us speaking up that we are being listened to. Reach out to me if you can. sarah.joanou@gmail.com

Ark
9/30/2018 01:55:02 pm

I remember this

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Kelly
9/18/2018 11:07:26 am

I worked for Finkelman at the empty bottle, as well as st Lous assembly. Fool me once...

For starters, at the empty bottle he refused to pay me an hourly wage and insisted that I work only for tips. Illegal much? Once during my time there I had stepped outside for a breather. I was checking some text messages and apparently biting my nails because Bruce came up to me, slapped my hand out of my mouth, and told me to “get a fucking cheeseburger”. Where do I even start with what is wrong with this picture? I quit soon after when I got sick of begging for an hourly wage and being denied.

More recently, I took a job at St. Lous Assembly. Lord knows why I let myself near this company again, maybe enough time had passed and taken the edge off my anger. And I needed a job! Anyhow, during a brunch shift a chef from one of the other properties came in with his family to eat. When Bruce came in that day my manager stopped him to let him know the chef had come in. “What was his wife like?” Bruce asked my manager, Kelly. “What do you mean? She was nice, seemed like they had a good time.” She replied. “No I mean was she pretty?” To which Kelly replied that she felt uncomfortable with the question and would not answer. He pressed on “its an easy question, just answer it. Like her (motioning towards me) is she pretty? answer the question”. Did I mention all of this took place in front of his pre-teen daughter? Again... where do I start?! These inappropriate and disgusting experiences are just the tip of the iceberg with these guys. I could go on and on... as could many of us who have had the misfortune of working for them.

I hope they get what is coming to them in this industry, and I hope people keep sharing their stories here.

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Sarah
9/19/2018 06:49:42 am

That is appalling. "In front of his pre-teen daughter" indeed. Appalling.

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Anokha
9/18/2018 11:44:03 am

Another ex-Empty Bottle employee who can attest to what a piece of shit Bruce is. While I have an encyclopedia of stories to tell (can back up the asbestos one), I am just one of dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of people he's screwed over and none of our telling of our experiences seem to stop him from expanding his empire. It's completely frustrating that he and so many other rich white assholes escape any sort of accounting for their malfeasance.

As much as it kills me to not go to any of the venues he owns as that's where most of my favorite artists play, I refuse to support or legitimize this man by my presence or my money. I sincerely wish other people did the same.

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Ex-EB
9/18/2018 08:12:49 pm

Another ex-Bottle employee here who refuses to patronize any of his establishments after how I and others were subjected to his misogyny and megalomania. Happy to see him burn after all these years.

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Exo
9/18/2018 01:10:53 pm

I worked at Alliance Bakery and they held my last paycheck, too! For being the only person closing after everybody on shift quit at on every and I couldn’t clean the whole place down and do dishes in 15 minutes. Alexis, we didn’t work together but there were longtime employees stealing tips, and the owner’s nephew worked there and sexually harassed girls but the owner refused to discipline him. Oh and the other manager Nora told us to stomp on the cockroaches so they wouldn’t “go into the food sitting out” or the cold brew OPEN in the basement by the rat traps and poison.

Yeah, yeah... the restaurant industry is notorious for skirting health codes and illegal kimchi, but Chicago has issues with all these monopolies and loss of income for putting up with literal sewage. Scofflaw Group paid female food runners $2/hr less than males and hired new servers constantly rather than expand shifts for existing workers.

I suggest looking to labor unions and responsible, professional restaurants and bars on the other coasts and in West Loop who ensure health coverage and fairer pay for workers. Asbestos Bottle needs an immediate health dept. call just as Thalia does.

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A.S.
9/18/2018 01:22:03 pm

Oof. Add Bangers & Lace to the list of awful places not to spend your money. Managers on duty got tanked and paid out inaccurately taking two hours every closing to re-count the drawer. Girls given tiny sections and the male servers would try to send them home early and say they had the authority to. Fuck the servers still there. More importantly fuck the owners for forcing a girl off the schedule who said she was going to Pride after a shift and let the kitchen staff call her names and refused to fire her table’s orders until she left in tears getting called disgusting homophobic slurs to her face.

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Agreed
9/18/2018 05:30:42 pm

As a customer, I’ve seen the way Bruce speaks to his staff. It’s disgusting, dehumanizing and ultimately made me stop wanting to be a patron at Bite Cafe. He clearly has no qualms about treating his staff like utter shit.

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This Needs to Stop
9/18/2018 10:19:28 pm

I’ve never worked for Bruce but have only heard terrible things, specifically one involving a stapler being thrown at a friend of mine and another never being paid.

I also worked in the industry for a decade in Chicago, and my last job fired me for a fake reason only because I suggested to the owner a few ways he could handle events better and he didn’t like that - “poor attitude” was also used to describe the incident (I was told by my friend who was also a manager and fought for me to stay since I was “the only employee I can count on and doesn’t come to work drunk”). I was able to file for unemployment since I was there for a year and a half without any write-ups whatsoever. The part-owner manager was bought out and fired a couple months later. I honestly think me filing for unemployment made them look more into him and why our restaurant was failing.

Get your unemployment - it will raise their unemployment tax for all the staff in their company which could be a lot for them. Hit them where it hurts and maybe make them think twice about firing people just because they want to.

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Ding dong
9/18/2018 10:52:49 pm

I think you’re an really unstable person, most of this stuff unfortunately happens in that industry and I can even bet that you did at least half of the stuff that you clame to be wrong (even if you think that they were wrong) also it seems that they fired you for a legitimate reason but at the end your point went to a different direction for what you were trying to say or express regarding your situation (meaning being fired) any ways, I do agree that the system or the industry has to change but you don’t have to bring all your anger on people that might get affected because of your pride of making the decision by posting your journey in that company, there is a lot of people that will get affected in the kitchen and outside of it that has nothing to do with the matter.

If you have fiends in that company let me tell you something, probably they support you because they come out with you or because they agreed with your ideas but once they lose their jobs because of those statements they most likely flip on you now if you don’t have any friends ( which is my thought) in that company you have to remember that there is more than one person that is going to get affected because you’re pettiness and if you don’t realize it or you don’t care it means that at the end you’re post is full of shit

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Tookie
9/19/2018 06:18:27 am

You going to show this to Bruce tomorrow in the hopes of......? Suckhole, you should have paid more attention in English class then you might not come off sounding like a moron as well.

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Dining Dong’s Uncle
9/19/2018 10:38:17 am

My apologies for my ding dong of a nephew’s moron post. He clearly needs to return to school to not only learn grammar by to learn how to process, read and understand what words mean.

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Huh?
9/20/2018 11:14:47 am

A two paragraph reply somehow composed of two sentences... amazing.

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shut. up.
9/20/2018 04:10:46 pm

No one should have to quit a job due to unethical treatment. no one should have to quit a job because the environment is toxic and nothing is being done about it. Trying to place blame on the victim is further enabling greedy assholes like Bruce Finkelman to continue to abuse his position of power and wealth and everyone who works for him and who potentially will work for him - it’s also the reason people don’t come forward - because countless morons like you, who have no idea what goes on in that place, will try to discredit the person, question the person, and castigate the person with character assassination. Dozens of people are backing up this woman yet you, without any factual knowledge of anything, are here on this forum trying to place blame on her and call her a liar. Fuck you. You need to take a knee, my child.

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Dude
9/19/2018 06:15:21 am

Hey Ding Dong asshole! You can’t spell, and you’re clearly unqualified to talk about stability in a clinical sense.

Go back to work before *your* IP’s out in the open and you lose your job, friendo.

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Tookie
9/19/2018 06:50:06 am

Find me ANYONE who has worked for Finkleman with ANYTHING good to say about him and I'll blow you on the spot! The asbestos situation is so much worse. The guys who he paid to clean it up with shitbox paper masks should sue. Bruce Finkleman, a absolute champion asshole.

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Dmitry Samarov
9/19/2018 09:54:50 am

I worked at Bite eighteen years ago. Back then Finkelman was only a minority owner of the restaurant. He came down one morning, looked over at the coffee-maker, which was in the process of making a fresh pot, and asked, "Is that coffee fresh?" I answered, "No, Bruce, I figured out a way to brew old coffee." He cursed me out and stomped next door to the bar,

Finkelman has alienated too many people to count with his behavior but what has always galled me is that he obviously revels in being an asshole. They didn't call him Brucifer for nothin'.

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Ding Dong
9/19/2018 10:36:34 am

I don’t know the “infamous” Bruce Finkelman nor Will Duncan, but according to this post he is an asshole like most of the restaurants owners, everyone has been fired at least one time in their lives and in some way we all wish they fail and died in the most painful way possible even if they fired you for a legitimate reason, the industry witch you’re are part of for at least 2 years (according to you) has been always like that with Drugs,sex and alcohol abuse, in Other words you’re not saying something new it happens and unfortunately often.

The way you describe the place sounds like you hate your life every day you were working there, my question will be why you stayed there for that long? I would not work in a place like that if i was you, it sounds more that you were angry because they caught you doing something that most people did but They did not get punished,
This is the humble opinion of a Ding Dong

P.S “sorry for the bad spelling I need to go to English classes I guess “

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Tookie
9/20/2018 02:53:08 pm

'I don't know the 'infamous ' Bruce Finkleman...", well shut the fuck up Ding Dong and stop being a ding dong.

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Ding dong
9/20/2018 11:06:32 pm

Well is still a free country where we can express our-self so If you don’t agree on the statement is fine but for me to shut up I won’t, it’s an opinion of the situation that she wrote and also something that is common in that industry, i don’t think she was the only one that wasn’t doing anything, there is always an other version of the story

I believe you
9/19/2018 07:51:22 pm

I believe you, it's a known fact that bruce doesnt let bartenders in the empty bottle take breaks to smoke and they get in trouble if they get caught taking a break to smoke even for 5mins. If they need to smoke then they have to hide or go down the street which takes longer. everbody who works in the service industry smokes and why does it matter what they do with their break time?

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Gotta chime in
9/20/2018 02:53:07 pm

I rarely comment on thing ever but I do want to bring to your attention that where as your experience is true and valid and trust that it all happened the way you describe, I do take issue with the way this was brought to light without the consideration of current employees of the company. There are people who will surely have a negative financial impact because of this being brought into social media first. I'm confused as to why initially none of this was taken to the city or a labor support institution, why quietly and legally more things were not done. As someone who stands to lose money from this bad publicity and does not have the privilege of just finding another job whenever I want I really wish that more thought was given to ALL the people. As one who has friends who are amazing people who work for the company and WILL be affected in many ways by this. Ultimately this will be a minor inconvenience to Bruce...maybe some issues will be solved maybe not... Maybe during those 2 years it wasn't the best decision to martyr yourself and let it come to this or stay in a place where it cause so much stress. Some of the issues you have most definitely and unfairly experienced are also not like other people's experiences yet your actions are going to affect a lot more people in a number of ways other than the ones you're attempting to hurt and call out. Let's be rea.i don't know how to solve this but am personally supportive and at the same time pretty annoyed the way this was approached.

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oh please
9/20/2018 04:01:10 pm

The current employees are definitely being considered - as people who shouldn’t have to work in a toxic environment and don’t fight against said environment for fear of losing their jobs or the social ramifications of publicly talking about it or anxiety about people potentially judging them or trying to defame them and so on and so forth. Everyone needs to know what goes on in that place. There a thousands of jobs in Chicago that don’t involve these scum lords - don’t try to act like people can’t find them.

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Sarah
9/21/2018 08:10:31 am

Dear Chime In -

Your annoyance is valid and heard. To be honest, I had no idea that sharing my story would become as explosive as it has, but I promise you it was not done thoughtlessly.

That’s largely why I didn’t speak up (at least publicly) about many of these issues sooner: I was afraid that it would hurt our business and that there would be backlash. I am still concerned about that, because there are current employees there whom I still consider my friends and I want the best for them too - that’s ultimately why I felt I had to speak up. It wasn’t about revenge, it’s about justice. I’m not trying to take down 16 on Center, I’m trying to make it better, like I always have.

People have asked me why I stayed working there if I hated it so much (or “martyred myself” as you put it) but the truth is, I didn’t hate it, not always. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into that bar to try and make it better because I saw the potential for what a great place it could be, but instead my efforts were almost always interpreted as annoying, difficult, or insubordinate. I went into every shift expecting to be ill-equipped and either bullied or ignored when attempting to solve a problem, and I believe this to be a direct effect of the toxic and chaotic atmosphere that Bruce Finkelman perpetuates by intimidating and gaslighting so many of the hardworking individuals under him. It is HIS behavior I am calling out, and seeking to rectify, so that current and future workers of this company can have a shot at what all of us hoped for: to work for a restaurant community that supported us.

I don’t know who you are, but I am sorry if what’s going on has had a negative financial impact on you, and I sincerely hope that the company changes positively and there is an improvement.

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Former employee Longman and eagle
9/22/2018 09:33:12 am

They tried not to pay me my last check after I quit because 1 they lied about me getting hours how can you finish a stage get offered 40 hours a week then 2 weeks later get dropped to 20 and told you were doing a good job 2 Max Robbins the executive chef is racist fired me because I didn’t fit their culture but I was an excellent cook 3 He hired a new guy which was white got his 40 hours consecutively while I only got 20 same position but different race so I believe the story and just think I almost staged at Duseks last week but the chef had an attitude towards me not wanting to do a full shift stage I maybe old but not an old fool

Are you fucking kidding me
9/21/2018 08:41:31 am

The only way these fuckers are ever held accountable for their actions is through public shame. If you've actually worked for this company for any period of time, you know this is not just about this woman's experience or this blog post, it's about all the other shit that has happened to people at the Empty Bottle and and Finkelman's other businesses for decades. You think your current employment is worth more than these voices finally getting a forum? You should be ashamed of yourself.

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Tookie
9/22/2018 09:37:48 am

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Well.....
9/25/2018 05:26:17 am

So opinions aren't allowed? Also, if you're coming from a place of how easy it is to just get a new job, your privilege is showing. Unless someone has the same view and experience as you, then I should just shut up. How is that even productive to shame someone for sharing their experience? Lol... I pointed out a very valid thing, just as everyone else has but it's invalidated immediately because it doesn't meet your standard. Give me a break. I personally have no idea if public shame will REALLY do anything as the people in question have been spoken about publicly it seems for years... Public shame will not change the people at the top. I hope things will change... But misogyny and harrassment and lies and workplace abuse are more norm sadly than exception. I didn't shame anyone for anything and I didn't say that what "the voices" were saying wasn't important. Merely pointed out my experience and view, just as everyone else.

SS
9/22/2018 08:40:23 am

Is it a surprise to ANYONE reading this that these guys are associated with STERLING BAY / FOUR CORNERS Restaurant Group guys, who have been accused in a multi- million dollar civil suit (currently pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County) stealing tips from its servers. Unreal.

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Former employee
9/22/2018 09:39:22 am

Those owners at four corners are racists cheap as hell shitty work conditions

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Erin Armstrong
9/22/2018 05:54:03 pm

In regards to the accounts of Sarah Ruthless
My name is Erin Armstrong, and while I cannot verify that all claims about 16oc are true, this was my experience (Empty Bottle/Thalia Hall 2011-September 20, 2016)

I started going to the Empty Bottle in the early 2000s. I saw countless shows there and played the stage myself. It was a place where I made many friends and developed fond memories. I was thrilled when I was given an interview to work there in 2011.
I guess I should’ve immediately seen a red flag when I was asked at my job interview, by Bruce Finkelman, if I had ever slept with Bruce Lamont, who was active general manager at the time. Everyone who worked there then knows about this and can corroborate - but that was my introduction into working for what later became 16 on center.
I worked hard enough that I was asked to become a shift manager a few years later and I agreed. I also took on creating and maintaining a specialty punch program at the Bottle. However, I wanted to do more and, once Thalia Hall opened, I began taking shifts there as well in 2015.
When the Assistant Manager position opened up, I looked at it as an opportunity to move up and to begin taking on a job with more responsibility, more income and what I felt was a more reputable title. Bruce asked me if I would consider being the GM of the Bottle as the current GM was stepping down to focus on his family. I told Bruce that I didn’t feel like I had enough experience and, for this reason, I wanted to become AGM at Thalia Hall, where I hoped to learn everything I didn’t already know and apply it to future endeavors. I could tell he was displeased and he asked me why I was “shitting on his baby” (his baby being the Empty Bottle). Regardless, I was interviewed and given the AGM position at Thalia Hall. In retrospect, it was a terrible idea that led to the most frustrating and debilitating work environment I have ever experienced in my entire life.
At first, I was happy - I was excited to be working in a place I thought was amazing. I had so many expectations and I felt important. But it wasn’t long before everything got grim. Within two months of being AGM, Bruce Finkelman took me aside and asked me what I thought of my manager. I honestly replied that the staff mostly did not care for him but that I felt he needed to be given a chance. I was told that he had already had his chance. Will Duncan asked to meet me at Dove’s where he told me my manager was being demoted but that we were all going to say he was stepping down and asked if I would be able to take on his responsibilities. I was hesitant because taking over the bar program in a 900 capacity music venue without assistance is an incredible endeavor- but I said yes.
This is where all my problems really began. I was in a very unhealthy on and off relationship that I should’ve ended long before I actually did with a bartender at Thalia Hall and Punch House who we will call “M”. Before I even worked there, he had been in trouble for showing up to work inebriated and once had to be sent home before his shift after a work meeting where he was obviously in an altered state and vomiting from whatever he had ingested. To be clear, I am no angel and I have done my share of partying in my life and I have always been very open and honest about it but the environment at the compound in Pilsen took this kind of behavior to a whole new level I have never seen before in a workplace. Much of the staff, especially the management, fostered, enabled and protected all of this behavior. M would often show up to work late and definitely not sober. He told me that I was not his boss and he claimed that I was trying to fire him (which I obviously never did because he still works there despite two GMs before me nearly firing him). When I brought my issues to the attention of Pete Falknor, who was the production manager and a partner, (who was one of the decision makers to hire me both at Empty Bottle and Thalia), I was told to “leave my personal shit at the door”. Pete and M were friends and in a band together, and even though Pete and I had been friends for ten years, he still took the side of another man who he was partying with. After our discussion, M was obviously told that I had spoken to Pete about his behavior because he followed me down into the liquor room, backed me in a corner and asked me who I was going to tell on him to. Nothing was done to him. He was never made accountable for any of his actions ever.
Pete met me with contention at every turn. I was constantly vetoed on executive decisions that I wanted to make as part of my job title. Other employees had similar issues with him and what seemed to be an ever-growing power struggle and authority complex. He also claimed that I was responsible for the GM being demoted and I received lengthy angry, accusatory texts about it

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Erin Armstrong
9/22/2018 05:56:46 pm

accusatory texts about it at 4 am from Pete that put me in tears - followed by vehement apologies in the morning.
After about 4 months of taking care of everything without assistance and without a pay raise from the $10 an hour I was making as AGM (the same pay I was receiving as a shift manager at the Empty Bottle, mind you), Will Duncan walked into the Hall during a show and informed me that Bruce Lamont was going to be GM and I would be his assistant. I wasn’t very happy about this because Lamont was constantly on tour, the main reason he quit being GM at the Empty Bottle - but I didn’t feel I had a choice. Lamont and I met to discuss things where he immediately sent me about a month’s worth of dates that he would be gone and I would have to take care of everything by myself, still. It was laughable. Lamont even told me “I don’t really want this job, I’m just doing it because of what I might get out of it in the future”.
In August 2016 things came to a head. We had a free event sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. It was Mikal Cronin, a popular performer who has toured with the Oh Sees. Pete decided that no one was going to show up and that we should cut staff - something that I, as the bar manager, had been chastised for doing in the past when only 200 tickets in a 900 cap venue had been sold. I opposed this decision but, as per usual, was reminded who was boss. The show was at capacity and I had three bartenders in the main bar. For sold out shows, we normally had four and occasionally five bartenders and a barback in the main bar. On top of it, the kegs for the sponsored event had not been put in the cooler and most of the beer was warm and unservable. It was a nightmare. Bruce Lamont had to be called in and he was not pleased. In my manager notes, I detailed what had happened. Pete returned my notes and told me to rewrite them and that I sounded like a “drunk M** W*******” who was a long time employee and shift manager at the Empty Bottle. I told him that I didn’t think anything I wrote was wrong and that he shouldn’t be talking to me the way that he was. There was some back and forth before Bruce Lamont chimed in to tell me to stop arguing with Pete - and I quote “Stop this back and forth shit with Pete right now”.. I have all of these e-mails still in my possession. Pete didn’t want to be implicated in the night being a mess and apparently, since he and Lamont discussed it, that meant it was no longer an issue.
Not long after that, another incident involving my ex arose. Bob Begandy, who was the beverage director at that time and who was later fired for sexual misconduct, double scheduled M at Punch House multiple times despite the fact that he was consistently given the Thalia schedule for an entire month. I had asked Pete to get us on schedulefly with the rest of the building so that the software would connect us and double-scheduling would not happen and I was shrugged off. (Let’s just pause to touch on the time Bob walked up to M and I at Dusek’s shortly after I was hired and said to M “You know I like to fuck all the new managers, right?” and laughed. M replied, “I’ll watch”) M was the only other opener besides me and he was, once again, in Punch House. I told him to get upstairs and he told me it was Bob’s fault and not his and so I said, get Bob up here right now. Bob came upstairs and began emphatically saying “Why are you yelling at M?” and M, right behind him echoing, “yeah! Why are you yelling at me?”. I asked Bob why he couldn’t figure out how to not double schedule employees as it was creating a mess for me. They acted like I was crazy for thinking that this was unacceptable.
After that incident, I had a meeting with Bruce Lamont where I told him about my problems with both Pete and M. He assured me he would talk to them both. I had it out with Pete in private in the office where I told him he could not continue to treat me with disrespect, how they could not allow my ex to continue treating me with disrespect and how I felt I was being discriminated against and treated unfairly. I told him that it was unfair that they made Lamont the GM yet I was still covering most of the shifts and not being allowed to make any decisions that directly impacted me and my staff. He assured me that we would work things out and fix them. He scheduled a meeting with me. When I walked into the office of 16oc above the Bottle, I saw a firing squad of Pete, Lamont and Finkelman sitting in front of me. They presented me with a suspension sheet that didn’t even have my correct legal name on it and claimed that I had been rude to customers and that it was my behavior, and not M’s, that was a problem. It also stated that I had an “outburst” against my “superior”, Bob Begandy - who actually had

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Erin Armstrong
9/22/2018 05:59:28 pm

nothing whatsoever to do with Thalia Hall other than that he ordered beer and was, in fact, NOT my superior or even my co-worker. They claimed other employees said I was “shut down” at work. I just want to point out that, up until this point, there was zero record of me being a problem. My “attitude” was so much of an issue that I was promoted as a shift manager at Empty Bottle, asked to be the GM of the place, promoted to AGM of Thalia Hall and subsequently given GM duties. I asked Lamont and Pete to leave the room so that I could talk to Finkelman alone and they both sat there until Finkelman told them to leave. I told him everything that I have said here. His response was, “is this really all about M!?” inferring that I was the crazy, jaded ex girlfriend as most men will immediately insinuate about a woman rather than take her word that things are awry. The behavior of a man who is a known problematic addict and who Bruce barely knew was less of a concern than the allegations of a woman in a management position who had worked for him for five years. And we see this pattern over and over and over again throughout history and even in our current 21st century. And it wasn’t all about my ex, it was about a whole group of incompetent men lording over me and packing together to protect themselves. I told Finkelman “it’s a boys’ club and they don’t want me in it”. He looked me in the eye and said, “that’s just the way the world is, Erin”. A business owner, a husband, the father of a daughter basically telling me to shut my mouth and get back in the kitchen. The suspension form demanded that I change my “attitude” and bring problems to the attention of my superiors - but how can you bring problems to the attention of people who are, in fact, the cause of the problems? And then, Finkelman let the suspension go forward. This is the “open door policy” they’ve been feverishly throwing out. There’s no winning in the situation. They were setting me up. They were making a documented trail saying I was problematic so they could fire me and pull it out as proof of insubordination. There is no other document in the history of my working for this company of such a nature. There is no other document in my entire employment history in the 24 years I have been working claiming that I was a problem.
I came back for one shift, a sold out show. I immediately had to go downstairs and start batching cocktails because Lamont had somehow not managed to do it while I was gone. At the end of the night, Finkelman came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told him I wasn’t feeling good and that I wanted an HR meeting and I wanted it now. He said he was uncomfortable with what I was saying and wanting me to schedule an emergency meeting with Elizabeth, who was director of operations for the entire company - because there was no HR Department. It didn’t exist - but they made sure to create one after what happened next. Within fifteen hours, they shut down my company e-mail, brought me into Tack Room where Pete, Bruce Lamont, and the events planner, Emma, gave me papers terminating my employment and offering me $500 severance pay that would waive my rights to seek legal counsel against them. I refused to sign the papers - $500 is not enough to buy me off. I was never given an HR meeting. I left enraged at the injustice of all of it feeling completely frustrated and betrayed. As I left the building, I could see Finkelman on his phone waiting for them to call him to let him know it was done because he was too spineless to actually sit in front of me himself. The only slight silver lining is that I received an apology from Pete about a year later. Aside from all the individuals now coming forward with similar stories and co-workers who will testify what I’m saying is true - I have documents and e-mails supporting it all.
I filed for unemployment and they tried to fight it - after an interview with the unemployment office, the woman I spoke with said, “Well this is clearly a witch hunt!” And granted me the benefits.
Why did I stay in this situation? Well, people stay in terrible and toxic scenarios for all sorts of reasons - social, financial, psychological. I was simultaneously dealing with several very intense family tragedies during this time, I felt defeated on so many levels. Why didn’t I go public before? I mean, I’m known as a severely honest person and I pull no punches. For one thing, many of my friends still worked for this company and I was considering them first and foremost. Aside from that, I didn’t want to endure what every woman who speaks out does, especially when it’s about places that are beloved - backlash, skepticism, cynicism, doubt, claims you’re being emotional or overreacting, attempts at character assassination, and mane

erin armstrong
9/22/2018 06:01:43 pm

maneuvers to discredit the truth to save face. There’s a laundry list of reasons. As I was reading Sarah’s account, I was both disgusted and encouraged. Here was a complete stranger saying almost verbatim the things I had been saying two years ago. And the texts began flooding in echoing that sentiment.
I want to thank Sarah for speaking out because now more and more of us are coming forward with the truth about Bruce’s mini Monopoly. There is strength in numbers, my friends - no one can deny what you’re saying is true when multiple people whose only common thread is that they shared the same experience are voicing it as well. To everyone still working for Bruce, I hope things improve for you but I would suggest doing what I have done - find employment with genuinely good and sincere people who treat you like a human being and generally have your best interest at heart. The only reason that the Empty Bottle and Thalia Hall and all of Bruce’s other businesses are what they are is because of the people who work there, who play there, who have events there and who he has consistently taken advantage of - using them for their hard work and talent to make a name and a boatload of money for himself. Take your shows and events elsewhere - there’s no end to venues in Chicago who don’t treat their employees like animals.
To everyone who has been afraid to talk - there’s never been a better time than now to have your voice heard.

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Sarah Joanou
9/23/2018 03:03:16 pm

Thank you so much Erin for being brave and going public!! Every voice counts!! #NotHeard #WitchesBurnBack

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Me too
9/23/2018 06:03:47 am

I was one of the bartenders who opened Longman and Eagle. Pretty much 100% of what you have stated here happened there as well right down to the sewage-y work environs, sexual harassment, drug use, the hiding of the sous-vide, sexual harassment, hiding money, did I mention sexual harassment? The list goes on. I was the only woman behind the bar and was given no reason for being fired mid shift. Bruce just didn’t like me and his little henchmen, Will executed his brand of one sided justice.

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Sarah
9/23/2018 03:02:33 pm

Infuriating and unacceptable. I'm so sorry (but sadly not at all surprised) that there is so much overlap between the sister restaurants. There's never been a better time than now to speak publicly about it. The more voices there are, the less they will be able to silence us!!

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Roger Bartlett
9/24/2018 08:05:23 am

Can I ask what you expected working for two sons of David? Why do you think so many of us refuse to even look at these people? You can also partially thank Rahm The Puppet. He’s especially easy on his Jewish business people.

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Not ok
9/24/2018 11:49:13 am

I think Bruce is a horrible garbage human but that has nothing to do with him being Jewish. This is really offensive, Roger. This thread is not for you (or anyone) to spread racist rhetoric.

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Sarah Joanou
9/25/2018 10:43:12 pm

Um, yeah, Roger, I'm not sure if you read the title of this blog, but I am, in fact, Jewish. Please no anti-semitism. Ever. Can't believe I have to say that. .

The World is Changing
9/28/2018 07:58:05 am

Roger Bartlett. Sit down and shut up. Being Jewish has NOTHING to do with any of this. Look in the mirror and you will see why the world continues to go down the wrong path.

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Gil Thompson
9/28/2018 08:52:14 am

I think it should also be noted that there are some sketchy practices that go on with the production staff as well. Some production employees in the venue, TH, we're initially paid cash under the table, ILLEGAL. This has since changed and some employees are paid as 1099 independent contractors. This means TH skirts laws requiring them to pay into workman's comp and unemployment insurance and also burdens 1099 contractors with footing more of their own tax bill at the end of the year.

The problem lies wherein TH production employees DO NOT meet the legal standards for what is considered an independent contractor. I sincerely hope all the 1099 employees have their own liability insurance because if they get hurt at work they'll have to foot the bill. Also, typically if someone else, patron, other employee, etc is hurt inside the venue any of the 1099 independent contractors can be sued as independent entities for legal responsibility.

The owners may think they're getting off easy by calling some employees independent contractors, but when one gets hurt and sues the company, the bill will be a lot larger than the employment taxes, workman's comp, and unemployment taxes they should be paying the first place. Please research the legal definition of an independent contractor and know your rights as an employee. If you feel you do not meet the standards of an I dependent contractor report TH to the National Labor Relations Board. Too many companies have been doing this to production employees for too long and it should stop immediately.

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Elmer Fudge
9/28/2018 01:37:43 pm

Never went to a show there. Too far to travel from the North Side. And too expensive (Dusek's) for what you get. But Thalia is cool. My big question is, "Is the concert hall really haunted?" Finally, it sounds like there's potential for a reality show a la Vanderpump Rules! Drugs, Sex, Money with a double dose of hipster.

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sharon rosenblum
9/28/2018 06:52:08 pm

wow...my memories have just been sold---my next move is sending this to RT so he will hopefully cancel his december shows here---just on gp

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B
9/29/2018 01:13:48 pm

I first found Erin's post on FB, and that led me down a rabbit hole to find your account of TH as well. Sarah and Erin (+ the countless others in this post), I'm appalled, and unfortunately not surprised of these anecdotes at all. I feel for all of you. I worked as a server/bartender Thalia hall for a year, and consistently was paid illegally under the table, and accosted by Pete, Bruce and random 'managers' feeling that they had the right to talk down to me.

Often Thalia staff were allowed to grab a coffee from Duseks - with Pete's permission of course. One day, it was my turn to go get everyones coffee, and while waiting patiently for the green light to ask for cups - I turned around to see Will looming over me, way too close for my personal space. When I politely said, 'excuse me', he snapped at me and told me to 'get the fuck out of his bar' - mind you I wasnt in anyones way and had permission to be there.

On many other occasions I'd run into Bruce late after a show or at other 16OC establishments and he's slide over with unwanted hugs that always lasted too long. My first week or so on the job, it left me feeling included and important, and then I quickly felt the perv presence and began to hid behind corners and ducked out of sight when I saw him come in. My final day there I was screamed at by Pete in front of many people because the manual labor was hurting a slipped disc in my back and I accidentally plopped a keg down harder than he thought as ok (it was fine and barely an inch off the ground). When I said I was sorry, and reminded him that it was too much for me. He rolled his eyes at me and told me to go home since I was incompetent. I sheepishly asked to make sure my hours were counted so I could get bar tip payout and I was ignored. (note: I was not hired to work the back of the bar, and the day he started having me go back there I told him about my injury) I went home and thought about it for a while - and knew if I didn't quit, they would work me to another medical issue, a situation I knew I couldn't let myself fall into since I had no medical insurance.

Last year'ish I unfortunately ran into Pete and Bruce at another 16OC and they both greeted me with aggressive hellos and a hard slap on the *BACK* from Bruce. I will never be seen patroning any of their places again.

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erin
9/29/2018 01:31:46 pm

B please contact me via facebook messenger I’d like to talk to you. Thank you for sharing your story

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A former employee
10/1/2018 06:33:36 pm

Bruce Finkelman is responsible for the rapid acceleration of gentrification in Ukrainian Village, East Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Pilsen. The Empty Bottle, Bite Cafe, Longman & Eagle and Thalia Hall/Punch House/Tack Room have paved the way. This man is a venture capitalist and couldn't care less about the people who live in those neighborhoods. Bruce Finkelman is a trash human. I worked for Bruce at The Empty Bottle in 2008 & know how truly corrupt and pathetic this man truly is. Will Duncan is a yes man who has little to no integrity. Pete Toalson is also complicit in all of this, being Bruce Finkelman's yes man for many, many years and turned a blind eye to the corrupt business practices for far too long. Who has Bruce Finkelman paid off to hide the illegal business practices that he has engaged in for decades? BOYCOTT THESE BUSINESSES.

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Thought about this today, and
1/19/2020 04:33:46 pm

I'm sad this lost steam. I really thought this company's day of reckoning was coming, but I guess all of the allegations were brushed under the rug again.

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