Boycott LUX Coffeebar!
4404 N Central Ave Ste 1
Phoenix,
AZ 85012
2/4/06 3:00pm
Part One:
I went into
Lux Coffee Bar to get two coffee drinks for myself and my partner. Meanwhile,
my partner went and bought some sandwiches at Pane' Bianco next door, then
sat down outside at the tables with our friend and her father. While I
was up at the front counter of Lux waiting for my coffee drinks, Tara Fischer,
(the new co-owner of Lux Coffee Bar), came up to me and started a conversation
with me (even though she had nothing to do with the making of my drinks).
She asked me if I had recently talked to the owner of Tart
Pastries aka Paloma Bakery (my ex-boss, who had been recently kicked out
of the back of Lux, only to be replaced with out-sourced pastries). I said
that I had a little bit. Then she said, well...Tart Pastries was supposed
to be out by the first of the month, and they still have a bunch of their
stuff in the back that they had not picked up. I said that it was not my
business because I was not the owner of Tart and that I no longer worked
there, and that she should probably talk to the owner herself. Then she
asked me if any of the stuff in the back was mine, and I said no. She then
asked me if I was here to pick up any of the stuff. Again, I said no. I
was here simply to get some drinks. Tara Fischer then started to tell me
information that really was not my business.
She said that
Tart Pastries had not payed for this month's rent, and that they were to
have been out by the first of the month. (Fast-forward an hour later to
when I talked to the owner of Tart Pastries on the phone, who informed
me that she in fact had asked Jeff Fischer (the new owner of Lux) if it
was OK if she moved out the bulky, heavy things after the first of the
month when she could get some help to do so. Jeff Fischer told her that
that would be no problem, and Tara Fischer was right there next to Jeff
Fischer when that conversation took place). Tara Fischer then said that
she was thinking of selling off Tart's equipment if she did not show up.
(As she was telling me this information, I was thinking, wow....this is
completely not my business, so why are you trying to involve me?). I told
her that I figured that maybe the reason why Tart Pasteries did not get
their stuff yet was because they did not want to run into you or talk to
you, but that I was not sure about that. Then I said, "Oh, and by the way,
thanks ...because of you, I lost my job".
Now, I said this statement
not because I was disgruntled that I had lost the job because of Tara and
Jeff Fischer. The fact was, I didn't care at all. I already have a primary
job, and I was just working at Tart Pastries on the side, helping a friend
out. I had wanted to quit Tart Pastries anyway, and had already told my
boss on the previous Saturday, which in turn is when I found out that Tart
Pastries had been kicked out of Lux. The main reason why I said that statement
to Tara was because I wanted to see what her reaction would be, since she
seemed so inclined to involve me in business between her and Tart Pastries
that I had nothing to do with. Well, this is the response I received from
Tara Fischer. She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're welcome."
It
was at this point in time that I was not happy with Tara at all. How could
she be so cold??? Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I proceeded to
tell Tara Fischer that I had heard from Tart that Daniel Wayne (the previous
owner of Lux) told Tart Pastries that when Jeff and Tara Fischer bought
Lux from him, that they had verbally agreed amongst other things, that
Tart Pasteries had come along with the purchase of Lux. Therefore, if Tara
and Jeff wished to be rid of Tart Pastries, they would have to buy Tart
out, not just kick them out. At this point, Tara Fischer told me with a
smile that that was not in writing. This little statement from Tara led
me to realize that I was talking to someone who may not have the best morals
or values. She obviously feels that it is OK to renig on verbal business
agreements. I was so mad at this point that I actually called her a bitch.
She then told me to get out and that I was not welcome at Lux anymore.
She then proceeded to go get the cordless phone. At that point, I picked
up my drinks, told her that she was a snob, that she and Jeff were bringing
Lux down, and that her stuff sucked. I also told her that my mother used
to come to Lux at least 4-5 times a week in the mornings before work, as
well as buy Lux beans. And now, because of poor customer service, she doesn't
come to Lux at all. Primarily because she thought Jeff Fischer was rude.
Then, I walked outside where I met up with my friends for lunch at Pane'
Bianco.
Part Deux:
While I was outside on the patio telling
my friends what had just happened, I noticed that Tara Fischer, who was
still on the cordless phone (with her husband Jeff), walked over to Pane'
Bianco and went inside. I saw her looking out the window right at me while
on the phone, giving me dirty looks, so I gave her the finger. I then proceeded
to pick up my Pane' Bianco sandwich and show it to her to signal that I
was a customer of Pane' Bianco, not just Lux.
Then, Mr. Bianco,
like a gentleman, came outside to talk to me at the table where we all
sat. He went on to say that he likes all the parties involved and that
no one ever knows every side to a story, and that this had obviously become
personal, etc. I told him only the beginning of what had happened between
me and Tara Fischer, only because I did not want to involve him at all
in this situation. Mr. Bianco responded that Tara had told him a different
version. Well, of course she did, and we'll get to that story later. So
after my conversation with Mr. Bianco, he went back into his store.
It's
then that I decide that it is time to go and that enough drama had taken
place. At that moment, Jeff Fischer storms up after having talked to Tara
on the phone and being fed only one side of the story. He came right up
to me and my party, amongst at least 20-25 other people outside, and flips
out his phone. He says to me, do you see that number??? Yeah!...that's
911! You're going to be arrested for harassment! I was like, umm......that
was NOT harassment, and I told him that I was leaving. He said that I could
not go anywhere and proceeded to grab my left shoulder / arm area to keep
me from getting up from the table. I told him that he needed to let go
of me, and that if anything, THIS was harassment on his part. He kept walking
around frantically trying to talk to the police on his cell phone, as well
as keep me where I was. I got up from the table and he told me I was not
going anywhere. I told him I was leaving. He then got in front of me as
if to block me from walking towards the parking lot. He grabbed my arm
again, and I told him that he had better let go and that he was crossing
WAY over the line, and that THIS was harassment. Again, this all took place
in front of my friends, family, 20-25 customers of Lux and Pane' Bianco,
as well as employees.
At this point in time, Mr. Bianco came
outside again and basically had to restrain Jeff from coming too close
to me. Jeff once more got right in front of me as I rounded the corner
to get to my car in the front lot. I told him to back off. He kept ahead
of me while I was getting to my car while still talking on the phone. I
unlocked my car with the remote, and he said that I was not going anywhere
while positioning himself between me and the driver's door. I said again
that he was way over the line and that he needed to stop what he was doing.
Mr. Bianco as well was trying to tell Jeff that he REALLY needed to stop.
Jeff stepped to the side just enough for me to open the car door, which
he then slammed shut. I could not believe what was happening. I told Jeff
that he did not know the entire story of what happened, and if he would
just calm down, I could explain everything to him. He kept acting erratically
and mumbling things, so Mr. Bianco then grabbed Jeff and sort-of escorted
him away. Then, Mr. Bianco came back and talked to me and my partner, who
had just joined me next to the car.
He told us that this is
the sort of situation where it needs to be resolved later by whatever means,
and that there was no point in trying to talk to Jeff at this time while
he was so angry. I agreed. Mr. Bianco then told me that the best thing
to do would be to just leave. I asked him if that was the best thing to
do considering that the police were coming. He said yes, that they already
have my information anyway, and that there was no need to keep the drama
going. So, I got in my car and picked up my partner who had gone back to
say goodbye to our friends, and we left. I was very upset at the time even
though I kept my cool. This is the best I can remember of what happened.
The
After-math:
After my partner and I got home, my partner called a
friend of ours who works at Lux to see what had happened after we left.
This person told my partner that Tara had said that I had chased her over
to the condiments bar while barking out every obscenity in the book. This
was not true. I never went near the condiments bar, nor did she. She stayed
behind the main front bar and I stayed right in front of it. I also did
not call her every obscenity in the book. I told her she was a bitch and
a snob, and that was that. Nothing more.
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