open carry @the old country buffet

[jahwarrior72]

i have only recently begun to open carry, and only on the weekends. i am more comfortable now than i was, though i still prefer CC. i have OCd at various stores and restaurants in the greater scranton area, without much ado. in fact, the first time i had anyone give me a hard time of it was at the old country buffet last weekend.

i was with my g/f and our 4 kids, plus my small nephew. i'd OC'd here before, but none of the employees seemed to notice. the only people who did were 2 constables for lackawanna county, who were vocal in their approval of 2A rights. this time, however, someone finally noticed. my g/f took half of our gang to get their food. while i sat with my son and nephew waiting, the manager approached me. my first thought was, "he's gonna tell me my daughter's acting up." my oldest has severe autism, and sometimes has loud, verbal outbursts in public. he asked how my day was (?), and if everything was alright.

"sure, everything's great," i replied.

"well, sir, i hate to be a bother, but...is that a real gun?"

ah ha. "um, yup," i answered.

"well, again, i hate to be a bother, but is there some way...is it possible...could maybe, i don't know, cover it up, or hide it, or put it away, or something?"

"uhhh...."

"see, some of our guests are uncomfortable..frankly, so am i...and they asked if there was anything i could do. it justs makes them uncomfortable, and nervous. you understand, don't you, sir?"

"sure, i guess. it's not everyday you see a brown skinned man carrying a gun, legally. ......that's a joke, buddy." i smiled.

"oh! hahaha! sure, of course. i'm sorry to bother you with this. could you..."

"sure, no problem. don't want to cause a panic at the salad bar." i pulled my shirt up and over the butt, barely concealing it.

"thank you sir. i hate to be a bother. enjoy your meal sir."

my g/f came back just as he was leaving. "what was that all about?"

"nothing," i said. "just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"and is it?"

"sure," i said.

we ate the rest of our meal in peace. on the way out, the manager, and some of the staff, watched me closely on our way out. buggers.

[Pa. Patriot]

Originally Posted by jahwarrior72

"see, some of our guests are uncomfortable..frankly, so am i...and they asked if there was anything i could do. it justs makes them uncomfortable, and nervous. you understand, don't you, sir?".

I have heard this line on other OC threads from various states over on OCDO.
I can't help but think these "managers"/employees, etc are full of crap.
I call BS.
If someone was truly concerned they would call the POLICE.
I just can't see anyone going to find a manager of a store or restauraunt to complain about another patron's (that they know nothing about) OC.
I should say: possible? yes, likely? No. $.02


Other than that, be prepared to smile and converse with people in that regard. I think an answer such as that if they would prefer you can just take your money elsewhere. Turn the decision making back to them. Especially if you have no way to "cover up"...

Edit to add: As it is their property, I would do as you and as lildobe suggests. If they are polite about it I would comply (if possible) and wish then well.

[JohnUSCG]

I must say I think you handled yourself and the situation great. I love the fact that people were 'uncomfortable' because you were OC, but once your shirt covered it.....WHEW...what a relief! Amazing how conditioned people are to fear and stupidity.

[lildobe]

I was asked to cover - once - at the Quaker Steak in Oakland... No big deal - I just pulled my shirt over it.

As long as they are police about it, I have no problem covering.

Anyway, good job on your OC - keep it up

[headcase]

Originally Posted by lildobe

I was asked to cover - once - at the Quaker Steak in Oakland... No big deal - I just pulled my shirt over it.

As long as they are police about it, I have no problem covering.

Anyway, good job on your OC - keep it up

*bold is mine

Freudian slip???? I think you handled it very well. IMO, I think it would depend on how I was approached, as to whether I would just smile and cover up, or debate it. Whether the manager is full of crap or not, in the end, he could still ask you to go. I also don't get the whole "thin piece of cotton covers up bad gun and all is right in the world again", line of reasoning, but hey, what's logic got to do with gun fear?

[Pa. Patriot]

Originally Posted by JohnUSCG

... I love the fact that people were 'uncomfortable' because you were OC, but once your shirt covered it.....WHEW...what a relief!

Yeah, that really does NOT make any sense does it?

We see your armed but thank GOD we can't actually see it anymore....

[Fraggle09027]

Originally Posted by headcase

I also don't get the whole "thin piece of cotton covers up bad gun and all is right in the world again", line of reasoning, but hey, what's logic got to do with gun fear?

Well, if you can't see it it must not be there.

I think I would of just asked if its there policy to not allow guns on there property. If he said no I would continue to OC unless asked to leave. If he stated yes I would let the food sit on the table get up and leave. There food is good but I would rather go where the want my business.

[Pa. Patriot]

Originally Posted by Fraggle09027

...
I think I would of just asked if its there policy to not allow guns on there property. If he said no I would continue to OC unless asked to leave. If he stated yes I would let the food sit on the table get up and leave. There food is good but I would rather go where the want my business.

Yeah, I think you can't go wrong either way. You can comply and stay for your fav eats. Or take your money elsewhere. It's up to the individual what's worth more to them. My choice would depend on where I was, who I was with , what importance the place held to me, etc etc.

I'm only speculating, of course, since I've never been asked to cover or leave

...yet

[steveforopen]

Where do these managers get the gull to approach people about their "ways" and "going-abouts"?

If I was approached about my firearm, it would go like this.

a. "Sir, is that a real firearm?"

b. "Yes, I am legally armed."

a. "Well, can you remove/cover it?"

b. "No, I cannot. But I can leave."

a. "Why do you have a gun?"

b. "I usually don't discuss personal matters with strangers."

That should be the end-all be-all of your discussion, leaving the manager with two options -- a. ask you to leave or b. reconsider and apologize. Option A puts the manager in a much more confrontational spot and IMHO is an unlikely choice on their part. I would find it more likely that, if you were friendly yet unapologetic about your right to bear arms, the manager would feel persuaded to allow you to dine in peace. If he persists, than why patronize an establishment that requires you to be in a GFZ? Just leave and blacklist blacklist blacklist. This gets the message out real quick that certain people will not tolerate being made victims of.

Just my thoughts on the subject

[TaurusGuy]

I have 2 comments to make here....

One...some of you said that it might have been best to leave the food and go...but you know, the man paid his money up front for him and 6 others...that would have been a costly thing to do to make a point that nobody would have got or cared to get.

The other thing...jahwarrior72, you made the comment about a brown skinned man carrying a gun legally...I have to wonder, if it was a white guy, would they have also asked the same thing of him? That pisses me off. I wonder how far they were willing to go with that. Let's say you didn't have a LTCF and you couldn't cover it up....then what?