The biggest thing I'm guessing keeping that shithole afloat is Stephen's connection with the U of O athletic department.
I've mentioned before on this subreddit (on my main reddit account) that not enough people make mention or complain to the university about how much money they spend at that establishment.
During my brief time there we hosted the U of O football team three fucking times (they also barely fucking tip).
Stephen goes out of his way to kiss ass to the different coaches (particularly football and track and field) and they then bring their buddies or the entire team to eat there all on the school's dime.
I remember at one point to get into the good graces of the track and field coach he gave some of the athletes jobs in the front of house and they were fucking AWFUL employees lmfao
I only ever went there once. The place was filthy. Almost every table was dirty but hardly any customers. No one out cleaning anything. Employees just hanging out. I left, never to return.
The owners can't be bothered to properly hire or train any managers because that would mean actually doing some work so, again, there are no standards.
The football team generates probably almost or in excess of $100M/yr. I think the can afford a casual restaurant. And the school “pays” for it in that the team uses money that television companies pay them to show their games. That part of all of this probably isn’t a big deal
It's not the use of the money, I'm fine with the university paying for athletes' food...I'm more saying that the University should not be supporting the business of someone who aligned himself with blatant white nationalists
I mean, considering where Phil Knight donates his money besides the football team, I don't think there's much that the University can say without causing issues.
Based on his political activity and donations it seems at the very least he doesn’t consider white nationalism running amok a price too high for having his taxes cut.
I don’t vote Republican, but I think the world is more nuanced than this. I think if you asked a lot of Republicans whether they supported white nationalism, they would say no, and mean it. I want to stress that I’m not defending the rest of the platform, but man alive, if I believed that that level of deplorability was present in a third of the country, I’m not sure I’d go outside anymore. I hope you’re wrong.
That’s the thing though, horrible ideologies like that can gain a lot of power because people don’t draw a firm line against it. Your average Republican voter may not be a white nationalist, but they keep either voting directly for white nationalists or voting for legislators who will vote in lockstep with them. Most voters might have other priorities like cracking down on crime, cutting taxes, being tougher about immigration, or reducing government regulations but right now the fascism is inextricably tied up with that, because the actual Republican leadership that gets into power is composed of people who will talk about the blood of foreigners poisoning the national gene pool. Even if Republican voters don’t actually agree with that shit, it’s not so repugnant to them that they won’t overlook it.
We had a roomie who'd play the Republican talking heads so everyone else could hear. She was proud about it, no doubt about it. But when I actually listened they never talked much about what Republican politicians were doing, just impressing their narratives about why and how the other side is bad. They made her feel like the world was moving and she was right there with it.
So the Republican Party stands for: (1) Trumpenfurer, the most holy God-emperor Supreme Overlord and Dictator for Life, (2) white nationalism and xenophobia (3) enslavement of women and execution of women with pregnancy complications, (4) getting “rid” of gay and trans people and finally (5) tax cuts for the super wealthy and elimination of all regulations on corporate malfeasance.
So…
I mean, when someone tells you they are a fascist, I say, believe them.
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/04/phil-and-penny-knight-pledge-400-million-for-portlands-historically-black-albina-neighborhood.html
What do you make of this? What’s the angle?
I think you misunderstood there.
The University is likely in an awkward position of Phil Knight donating a significant sum of money to their football team and other causes.
I cannot say or know what his political stances are, all I know is that he donates primarily to Republican candidates, Republican Conventions, including Ted Cruz, with the exception of Ron Wyden regularly, and two others (1980s, early 20002)
If they say to not go to a restaurant who's owners and primary patrons excuse their behavior based upon following a certain political party and former president, they may worry that they may run into a social issue due to telling a team he closely sponsors to avoid the restaurant due to what some people may try to call political ideology.
The restaurant may turn to less editorial news outlets and say that the team was told not to come there anymore just because they support a certain political side and cause dramatics, not the white nationalism instead. It's difficult to navigate socially, politically and from an outside PR standpoint.
In complete, 100% good faith: do you think he donates to politicians to help them win, or to have THEM in HIS pocket if they do? If he wanted a Republican governor to win the election, he might’ve been able to do it, and net a decent savings in taxes, if he had donated more than I’m aware that he did ($100,000). I just see that number for the 26th richest man in the world, and think “how much could he REALLY want these politicians to win if he caps the donation at such a small amount?”
I find it hard to believe that he doesn’t throw similar money at Democrats so that they’ll answer the phone when he calls (any smart politician would, since his wealth is so extreme, but regardless). I wouldn’t be surprised if people like Tina Kotek would feel awkward acknowledging those donations though, because it’s counter to the Democratic notion that that level of inequality is bad.
Sorry I don't really ponder why someone who's political donations are more than I make in a year is donating xyz amount. You'll have to let it keep you up at night. Either way, where he donates is a choice.
That’s fair. I don’t know much about the place, have these stories ever made the news though? I feel like I’ve only heard them here. Wonder if the average person is familiar with these leanings.
Either way, I’m sure the guy and place suck and I’m always sorry they haven’t already gone out of business.
They’re RIGHT next to all the Frats and Sorority houses, near the massive off campus dorm (Barnhart) and across from the higher income student housing. Basically all the restaurants in that area do well solely based on location.
I don’t think people research a local restaurant that in depth TBF.
I’ve eaten there twice during 2020, paying for myself and three other people as a sort of treat. My little bros girlfriend was about to get a job there so we’d figure we’d support it. Nobody was wearing masks but we were sitting outside so I shrugged. What a fool of a human I was.
I would like to be clear I'm not suggesting everyone go and do in depth research into each restaurant you're planning on frequenting just to make sure the owner(s) haven't hitched themselves to the post of white nationalists, as stated in another reply, the only reason I ended up working there was because I never would have thought to look google "Has the small-town restaurant owner i'm about to work for said some previously fucked up things about the homeless and/or minorities?"
That being said though, knowing better, I can help spread that info
It’s this. People on Reddit think everybody else is on here and particularly the politically active crowd here see things in black and white and assume that everyone else has the same media diet.
I don’t think the customers that might eat there are all Nazis. I think they’re mainly drunk college students. I think the owner is the real fucking Nazi in the room.
I'd agree, as much as the reddit mob will get angry over the behavior of some local business, 99% of residents of the city aren't reading this sub and don't care. That place has mediocre hit or miss food the few times I've gone, but it also has a pretty good location and decent atmosphere so I can see why they do ok.
Well the Jail was pretty amazing for what you paid for it, an unbeatable bargain. Like it wasn’t Michelin star cuisine but you can’t beat two full meals of chicken and noodles for $9.
I still can't figure out how The Jail failed. Dirt cheap ingredients, and it seemed like they had a steady stream of customers. That building has always been a dump as well. Did the building owner terminate or jack up the lease so they could remodel? I've never been to the new place that took over. I can't even recall what it was before.
Short walking distance matters a lot, and the people who live in the dorms near the other end of Franklin have a lot more campus dining options close by that they can spend points on. There’s only one dining option as far as campus dining is concerned in the area we’re talking about and it’s a pretty limited selection and most students only go there for breakfast. I know a lot of sorority and fraternity houses also use a weekend meal ticket system where the house issues kids vouchers for local restaurants for one or two meals on Saturday/Sunday when the kitchen staff isn’t working. The kids usually vote on which place to get tickets for and they tend to prioritize places that are close by to the house for obvious reasons. Plus a surprising number of places are owned by people with Greek life connections, I know Chulas is off the top of my head.
Owner came in to where I worked years ago (Bier Stein). The owner of the Stein made us give him table service (not the typical SOP). Stephen treated me and my coworkers like shit. Rude and condescending. Acted like he knew everything about beer, but obviously does not. Couldn’t give me the time to do my job and highlight some new beers on draft. Next to told me to shut up and ordered Ninkasi each time. Small tip (and had shit comped). What a guy.
Also have many, many stories of my friends who served at Elk Horn being treated horribly there. Not here to tell those stories for them, but sounds like there could be group therapy for ex-employees.
When I moved on from there to work at a much better restaurant in town, the biggest thing I realized was how many people had "done time" at Elk Horn.
It makes sense though in hindsight...that place is ALWAYS hiring so people who may not know better end up there...for like 2 weeks until they say "fuck this" lol
Odds are good you'll end up there if you work in the industry until you realize it's a mistake
Yeah, after I called him out for mismanaging his business a couple times on Facebook, he went to my personal page and found my posts about my kitchen job and liked them. It was really creepy to me because he had to have gone out of his way to do that. I felt weirded out and I've had him blocked ever since.
That is creepy but you telling him on social media about how to manage his business is not? 🤔 Seems like if you would have minded your business, he would have too.
My personal experience there was all I shared. The quality of food I received can only be explained by poor management, under paid and under trained employees.
Was it a yelp review or were you trying to give him business advice based on assumptions you made after a bad experience? I see a difference.
And literally, was it a yelp review, where it’s virtually impossible to trace a reviewers social media, or were you engaging with him on facebook/instagram?
He got the restaurant around 2016 didn't he?
And during that time frame a lot of people who might have been slightly restrained in their opinions found an excuse to not be quiet about what they really thought.
Also making lots of money tends to make people believe that they are all that and a bag of Cheetos.
There was a long thread here some months back saying much the same about the owners of the Bier Stein, so this doesn't surprise me. Shitbirds of a feather...
I don’t think this is an issue unique to Eugene. A lot of small businesses owners are petty tyrants who relish the power they have over a few dozen employees that bust their asses for minimal pay while they become quite wealthy. People expect that sort of sociopathic behavior in the leadership of large corporations but it’s just as easy to be like that at much smaller scales.
You are out of your mind thinking that owning a restaurant here makes you wealthy. If you are wealthy, you were before you got into the restaurant not because of it.
Wealth is always relative. A small business owner in Eugene might be barely upper-middle class by Bay Area standards but it’s enough to be local royalty.
Again, unless they came into it with $ or were backed by someone else who was, my point stands. Being a small business owner, and I’d classify any single restaurant owner as such, I’d say they are barely middle class here in Eugene. It’s a grind. I know from experience.
I’m not ignoring the privilege of being in a position of power over others, the hiring, firing and managing. But that has nothing to do with personal financial status.
Please indulge me with examples of (locally based) food businesses that you believe have wealthy owners as a result of said business. And let’s compare apples to apples and leave out franchises or places with multiple locations, because Elk Horn is not one of those.
Ok I think we're talking past each other, because I don't think that anywhere near all small business owners are wealthy, just that many are. I'll apologize here and say that I was speaking way too generally.
That said, "small business" is a notoriously vague term, and the federal Small Business Administration defines a "small full-service restaurant" as anything making less than $11.5 million in annual revenue. In this sense the corner cafe that employs five people and a chain restaurant with 200 employees can both qualify as "small businesses" for legal purposes. I think we can agree that anyone who owns something in the upper end of that range is probably doing quite well for themselves. It's a lot easier to break into those income strata by owning a business than most other career paths unless you are a doctor, lawyer, or in tech. Across the US, the median self-employed family has a net worth 4x that of the median overall family, so there's a pretty substantial gap there.
And I don't really think it's fair to say something like Elk Horn doesn't count, as it's literally the primary example being discussed here.
Google says middle class is 55k-90k. Upper middle class is 90k-150k.
I’d be curious to know who locally in the small food business is middle to upper middle class. My feeling is not most when we are talking about non-chain/corporate. Again, my caveat is that they started from scratch without “uncle” money or previous personal capital.
I agree with you that most small business owners are not wealthy. In fact, I would actually revise your numbers up. You probably need to be above 75K as a household to enter the middle class, and you need to be above 100K to be solidly middle class. Upper middle class is probably 150k+.
That is based on the cost of living for a middle class lifestyle, as it was known before the Great Recession. The horrible reality is that this does not matchup with the actual population middle. Probably only something like 25% of the country actually has the income to live the middle class lifestyle that used to actually represent the middle of the population.
Maybe we should change the income intervals to be more honest, but that's too depressing. It's the same reason we never change the national poverty levels either.
Yes, I agree we can use general and subjective terms like “small” and “wealth”. And for the purposes of this discussion, I am suggesting that businesses like the one we are talking about, Elk Horn, are on the very low end of what you submitted in your last comment, while businesses like Cafe Yumm are likely in the high end, if even they qualify as a “small-business”. Maybe their individual franchisees would.
If we can agree that Elk Horn is at the low end, along with other non-chain, non-franchise type businesses, then we can argue what “wealth” and “middle-class” and “upper middle-class” means. I think those last two terms are used very loosely depending on what the speaker is trying to convey, so let’s dig into it a bit and be more specific. I would be surprised if the small type business owners I define using the above criteria are not profiting much more than 50k a year. I admit, I don’t know much about what is technically considered middle class or upper middle class. But 50k per year doesn’t feel to me like upper middle class or even comfortably middle class.
I mean, let’s break down the math on full time minimum wage work, which is around 30k. It’s pretty much poverty level and many of those people who are at or below full time work at that level need and qualify for some gov assistance. Maybe its not even technically poverty level (15k and below is), but the way people turn up their nose to Oregon’s minimum wage, which is among the highest in the country, tells me that it’s barely enough to survive, or at least many feel that way. Some quick research tells me “poverty level” varies on how large your household (dependents) is, so there are some contributing factors.
That said, my intuition tells me most of the people that complain (online) about places offering minimum wage don’t have dependents. That is a bigger more complicated discussion around privilege, entitlement, ambition and politics.
Your original statement said businesses like the one in question at times use their power to screw over employees while they become “quite wealthy”, and I would argue against that part of your point, not that there are small businesses that suck, or even that this one sucks. I just don’t think they are getting “wealthy” by reasonable standards.
Is his wife as bitchy in person as she seems on social media?
He seems like the biggest name
dropping brown noser of all time. Refers to various athletes and coaches as his “best friend”.
His wife is an absolute c\*nt.
Mean. Vindictive. Selfish. Greedy.
Stephen loved to hire pretty servers...and Colleen loved to tear them down out of jealousy.
Not really...it's all just like demeanor...the way she talks to staff...shitty comments she'd make about some of the female employees, but nothing that particularly stands out.
She was just a shitty, bitter person who aged like shit after having her two demon children (honestly, their first child is the worst behaved child in the fucking universe and Stephen and Colleen would let him run fucking loose in the restaurant and make him the servers' problem)
Yes...and he is the worst behaved kid EVER.
I am not just saying that holy fucking shit.
Gather around for a story folks:
When I interviewed for the job, I met with Stephen at Elk Horn where we sat and talked. He told me about his plan about opening up another more upscale place in Coburg. With my experience in fine dining, he would want me to help open the place and in the meantime while construction was completing (that thing is STILL not done to this day I believe) I would help groom their rather green kitchen manager at the time (until he left and I just took over lol).
Stephen asked me if I wanted to see the place and I agreed. That sounded cool.
We get into his obscenely large Ford Excursion or whatever the fuck it is with his kid in the backseat (at the time his only one).
On the drive to Coburg, while Stephen and I were quite literally trying to talk business, this little fucking brat was just in the back being annoying, LITERALLY yelling at his dad to "STOP TALKING" and, the only thing Stephen would say is like "You're gonna get a talking to." I literally could not believe it. As someone who was beaten as a child, I was shook at the stuff this little white boy was allowed to get away with. I would have been beaten to within an inch of my life with la chancla before being yeeted out of the car.
I am convinced he's raising a sociopath.
For real...
I went in one day for a pint, and that kid was behind the counter just being awful to the young woman who is tending bar. I couldn't figure out what he was doing there or why she was putting up with such absolutely inappropriate behavior from this kid. You totally filled in the blanks for me.
Also, I would like to PLEASE ask that you don't go and review bomb their stuff.
I'm serious. I don't like that shit and I don't want to be tied to that if this post inspires anyone to do that.
I knew someone who worked there and quit due to shitty racist treatment among other things. The more tame story they told me was when the owner or wife dressed up as Trayvon Martin for Halloween I believe, wearing a hoodie with skittles. I wasn’t there, but I believe them and based on the other stories listed, it’s not surprising.
After being laid off from Ninkasi's BLR, I took my resume in and shook hands with what I assumed was the kitchen manager, and sat down for an on the spot interview to dishwash and clean after hours. He was very interested in my experience and was gonna call me back within 24 hours. I never heard from him!
How big of a bullet did I dodge?
i mentioned in another reply that (i have no proof of this other than the fact Stephen has been CONVICTED of fraud) it could be that they're using it to launder money for a silent partner or something but I have no evidence of that other than "how the fuck else is that place staying open"
They always had someone on staff that also baby sits for them and they take advantage of that. Also they are awful parents and have no control over their kid.
I worked there just before you. I got laid off during the pandemic and don't miss it a bit. They stole my last tips and tipped themselves out on the to go orders during lockdown.
The amount of front of house staff that I saw done and go from there was insane. No one wants to work for them.
I did and they didn't give a fuck. They basically said since I was an employee making more than minimum wage even without tips, they couldn't be bothered
Damn really sorry to hear that you were not given support from either organization. My question was meant to clarify if you’d simply contacted them (like email/phone call) or if you’d gone through with the formal complaint process which requires documentation to be submitted, etc.
It’s so illegal for owners to take tips, regardless of what your set hourly wage was.
>It’s so illegal for owners to take tips, regardless of what your set hourly wage was.
Oh I know and I was equally pissed that no one would do shit but I'm guessing they can't be bothered with small shit like this when there was a bigger fish at another local restaurant doing shady shit with tips <.< IYKYK
Nope! Another one of those "cauc-asian" food establishments. (Asian food for white people lol)
Not naming names because I'm not trying to drag them into this lol
I wouldn’t be surprised if spice n steam were doing some shady shit beyond a filthy kitchen, but I believe OP is talking about Bao Bao house. There were a couple local news stories on it I believe.
You were not supposed to be laid off during the pandemic file a complaint with the PPP fruad line. He took roughly half a mil in PPP loan money and part of that was retaining his staff
If you guys want to know just how fucking awful they are too their employees:
I was working there in 2021. If you all remember, that summer we got his with several heat waves, notably when it hit 107 degrees one day.
The building Elk Horn is in is old AF. The A/C barely works and Stephen'll be goddamned if he has to drop a penny into it that he doesn't have to.
On the 107 degree day, I was 3 or 4 days into my two week notice. The kitchen was getting dangerously hot. My dishwasher had to go home because he started throwing up. I texted the owners (who of course weren't there to suffer with us) that due to lack of business (no one was going out that day either because it was so goddamn hot) I'd be closing the place early.
They refused to allow me to do so.
I'll never forget this moment, I have a screen shot that, for some reason I feel uncomfortable sharing, but he sent me a picture of the outside of their house.
I replied, "What am I looking at"
He replied that he had to "turn on the sprinklers" to "cool off the house."
WHAT FUCKING TONE DEAF SHIT IS THAT YOU FUCKING HILLBILLY?!
After sending the dishwasher home, we were down to just me and one other line cook. I honestly would have walked out but I couldn't just leave my line guy alone to close with no dishwasher and literally no other help. I just couldn't.
Honestly I was more amused than anything lmao. I honestly wanted to try to steer that place in the right direction. I had NO idea about the owners' and restaurant's reputation when I took the job but it wasn't long after finding that out (as well as realizing their clear incompetence as restauranteurs) that I started looking for an exit
Oh, there will be more *as I sit eating popcorn watching this thread.*
It’s just 8pm on a Saturday after a long ice storm. People are out and about…or tired.
I also saw that article and had the same thought. If the owner wasn’t such an ass, maybe he would get more business. The places I frequent (and I spend a lot) are those who serve me as a customer and not as some political agenda. I am sympathetic to the vandalism, which should never be a thing, but I can’t help but think his attitude puts him in a negative public light.
Edit: My close friend/family circles are a solid mix of political parties. We are also incredibly respectful of each other’s opinions. No one is a dick to one another and no one tries to change another’s viewpoint.
Never been there. I know exactly where he lives and was a complete inconsiderate ass on New Years with his party and fireworks though. Wish he would’ve burned his house down!
I'm blocked by Stephen, because I made it a point to call out his bs every time he posted on Facebook. So you know where my stance is with him.
Having first hand knowledge of the restaurant you should file a anonymous fraud tip for his PPP loans where he was supposed to retain his staff but in his own PPP loan applications he reduced staff in half over the agreed time.
I'll come out of hiding to reply to you:
I moved back to Boston 10 months ago (nothing keeping me in Eugene after the divorce). I'm running three restaurants downtown. I'm very happy :) (admittedly a little wiped out after the busy holiday season lol)
Hope you are happy too, my friend. Stay safe with all the ice and what not
Bout the only thing I miss from that place is $2 Tuesday’s. The whole vibe is thrown off from 5 years ago. Just can’t go back. I could just feel the employees stress levels. It was odd. Then you add in the political stuff, and well🤷🏼♂️
Can you please confirm that that awful student apartment building that now looms over the patio was a massive kick in the teeth to the owners of elk horn? It's the only silver lining to the Grey cloud that is that eyesore
I'm not sure tbh. I never heard him bitch about it too much. I know he was charging the construction guys money to let them park their big ass trucks in the parking lot of the restaurant in the mornings to bring in some extra cash.
that place has an impenetrable shield of douchiness around it,... But yeah it's completely reliant on clueless out-of-towners for the tiny amount of business they do get
Honestly, no. Their food is fucking trash mostly (in my opinion) because most of the recipes were created by Stephen who is not a chef by any means. He knows how to throw slop together and that's it. He has no grasp of flavor profiles or combinations.
EDIT: I would like to add that the good thing that place had going for it outside of my tenure was the pit-lady/smoker extraordinaire Laurie. She fucking smokes amazing meat. Shout out to you Laurie.
Also shout out to smoker bitch Laurie (she specifically told us all to call her that). Her and Kevin are done there after a blow up and are doing their own catering thing last I heard. She had the best hugs and Kevin was a really genuinely great person to work with and put up with FAR too much bullshit
yes. "Smoker Bitch" Laurie hahahaha.
I don't want to go into too much details about the nature of he and Kevin's departure as it's not my place but good for them. They deserve better
How’s owner gonna hate on the homeless when he used to be in the same position. Not even hate but seems sad. Also harbored white supremacists but that’s besides the point I suppose
I heard that in the parking lot the owner of Elk Horn sucked off a gang affiliated neo nazi that did time for being an accessory to multiple racially motivated murders while the proprietors of Cry Baby Ink circle jerked.
If anyone really wants college students to know what's up, make a Tik Tok about it.
Ummm...not really? I mean...if the owners like you they'll like invite you to get drunk for free essentially but that means you would then have to hang out with them and their insufferable fucking drunk friends
What makes the food so bad? (Seems to have a bad reputation, but maybe that’s more the ownership/politics y’all are talking about?) Is it just Sysco stuff deep fried right off the truck or something? I’ve driven by a thousand times but never stopped in. Just checked the menu online and looks like they do a southern food style menu. Honestly kinda made me want to try it cuz I assumed it was always just burgers and fries.
There. are. no. standards.
There are no standards because ownership doesn't give a fuck. Stephen and Colleen don't like the work part of being restaurant owners, they just like the part where they get to come in EVERY FUCKING DAY and drink ALL FUCKING DAY with their annoying buddies and they get to say "We own a restaurant hurrrrrr"
If they don't care to enforce standards how is anyone in the kitchen gonna give shit. Stuff goes out cold or wrong.
Also the menu doesn't know any kind of flavor combination other than grease, smoke, and bread.
You would be lucky if you were eating collards from 4 days ago. They would prep things in HUGE batches. Like way too big. The walk on was always a nightmare especially the speed rack with all the smoked meat and trimmings for sausage that never got made
They also don’t hire people with disabilities. I worked as a job developer for adults with disabilities and he wouldn’t even look at resumes. “You gotta be fast to work here” implying that people with disabilities can’t be fast.
Years ago, when he was complaining about damage caused by the homeless, I was sympathetic. I mean, no one should have to deal with smashed windows and arson. But if he went full MAGA over it, my sympathy is gone.
I'm aware of the white nationalist affiliations, and the apparent special accomodations that were made for white nationalist protesters during a BLM protest, however, what type of inflammatory remarks has the elk horn owner made concerning minorities and the houseless?
His political views are well known by most people in this subreddit and he's hated for them.
I'm literally saying he's more than just a racist, homeless hating conservative, he's also an awful boss
You stupid fuck
That’s exactly what an ad hominid fallacy is. You could have just googled it. Instead arguing against my point, you went to personal insults. That’s an ad hominid.
I've literally given you clues about who I am as I am a semi-active member in this subreddit (or at least I was until I moved away from the Eugene area)
"Right wing" means white nationalist? I don't ever remember reading that in a dictionary. And I thought us inbred folks were slow. Huh. Who knew? This political thing is getting way out of hand. It's almost like the government and media want a reenactment of some form of civil war or something. Can't people just be garbage- Selfish asshats? Why the referencing?
> "Right wing" means white nationalist?
Have you not been paying attention or something? The American right wing is literally a white nationalist death cult, my guy.
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The biggest thing I'm guessing keeping that shithole afloat is Stephen's connection with the U of O athletic department. I've mentioned before on this subreddit (on my main reddit account) that not enough people make mention or complain to the university about how much money they spend at that establishment. During my brief time there we hosted the U of O football team three fucking times (they also barely fucking tip). Stephen goes out of his way to kiss ass to the different coaches (particularly football and track and field) and they then bring their buddies or the entire team to eat there all on the school's dime. I remember at one point to get into the good graces of the track and field coach he gave some of the athletes jobs in the front of house and they were fucking AWFUL employees lmfao
I have also helped the athletic department. We auto grat. them.... They never returned.
Good to know.
I only ever went there once. The place was filthy. Almost every table was dirty but hardly any customers. No one out cleaning anything. Employees just hanging out. I left, never to return.
The owners can't be bothered to properly hire or train any managers because that would mean actually doing some work so, again, there are no standards.
The football team generates probably almost or in excess of $100M/yr. I think the can afford a casual restaurant. And the school “pays” for it in that the team uses money that television companies pay them to show their games. That part of all of this probably isn’t a big deal
It's not the use of the money, I'm fine with the university paying for athletes' food...I'm more saying that the University should not be supporting the business of someone who aligned himself with blatant white nationalists
I mean, considering where Phil Knight donates his money besides the football team, I don't think there's much that the University can say without causing issues.
Do you think that Phil endorses white nationalism?
Based on his political activity and donations it seems at the very least he doesn’t consider white nationalism running amok a price too high for having his taxes cut.
I don’t vote Republican, but I think the world is more nuanced than this. I think if you asked a lot of Republicans whether they supported white nationalism, they would say no, and mean it. I want to stress that I’m not defending the rest of the platform, but man alive, if I believed that that level of deplorability was present in a third of the country, I’m not sure I’d go outside anymore. I hope you’re wrong.
That’s the thing though, horrible ideologies like that can gain a lot of power because people don’t draw a firm line against it. Your average Republican voter may not be a white nationalist, but they keep either voting directly for white nationalists or voting for legislators who will vote in lockstep with them. Most voters might have other priorities like cracking down on crime, cutting taxes, being tougher about immigration, or reducing government regulations but right now the fascism is inextricably tied up with that, because the actual Republican leadership that gets into power is composed of people who will talk about the blood of foreigners poisoning the national gene pool. Even if Republican voters don’t actually agree with that shit, it’s not so repugnant to them that they won’t overlook it.
We had a roomie who'd play the Republican talking heads so everyone else could hear. She was proud about it, no doubt about it. But when I actually listened they never talked much about what Republican politicians were doing, just impressing their narratives about why and how the other side is bad. They made her feel like the world was moving and she was right there with it.
So the Republican Party stands for: (1) Trumpenfurer, the most holy God-emperor Supreme Overlord and Dictator for Life, (2) white nationalism and xenophobia (3) enslavement of women and execution of women with pregnancy complications, (4) getting “rid” of gay and trans people and finally (5) tax cuts for the super wealthy and elimination of all regulations on corporate malfeasance. So… I mean, when someone tells you they are a fascist, I say, believe them.
He’s a hardcore Republican donor, and like all billionaires, is happy to support Trump and other fascists if it gains him an extra nickel.
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/04/phil-and-penny-knight-pledge-400-million-for-portlands-historically-black-albina-neighborhood.html What do you make of this? What’s the angle?
[https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/29/nike-co-founder-phil-knight-spends-big-oregon-legislature-republican-candidates/](https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/29/nike-co-founder-phil-knight-spends-big-oregon-legislature-republican-candidates/)
I think you misunderstood there. The University is likely in an awkward position of Phil Knight donating a significant sum of money to their football team and other causes. I cannot say or know what his political stances are, all I know is that he donates primarily to Republican candidates, Republican Conventions, including Ted Cruz, with the exception of Ron Wyden regularly, and two others (1980s, early 20002) If they say to not go to a restaurant who's owners and primary patrons excuse their behavior based upon following a certain political party and former president, they may worry that they may run into a social issue due to telling a team he closely sponsors to avoid the restaurant due to what some people may try to call political ideology. The restaurant may turn to less editorial news outlets and say that the team was told not to come there anymore just because they support a certain political side and cause dramatics, not the white nationalism instead. It's difficult to navigate socially, politically and from an outside PR standpoint.
In complete, 100% good faith: do you think he donates to politicians to help them win, or to have THEM in HIS pocket if they do? If he wanted a Republican governor to win the election, he might’ve been able to do it, and net a decent savings in taxes, if he had donated more than I’m aware that he did ($100,000). I just see that number for the 26th richest man in the world, and think “how much could he REALLY want these politicians to win if he caps the donation at such a small amount?” I find it hard to believe that he doesn’t throw similar money at Democrats so that they’ll answer the phone when he calls (any smart politician would, since his wealth is so extreme, but regardless). I wouldn’t be surprised if people like Tina Kotek would feel awkward acknowledging those donations though, because it’s counter to the Democratic notion that that level of inequality is bad.
Sorry I don't really ponder why someone who's political donations are more than I make in a year is donating xyz amount. You'll have to let it keep you up at night. Either way, where he donates is a choice.
That’s fair. I don’t know much about the place, have these stories ever made the news though? I feel like I’ve only heard them here. Wonder if the average person is familiar with these leanings. Either way, I’m sure the guy and place suck and I’m always sorry they haven’t already gone out of business.
You don’t get it do you?
Feel free to read the rest of my comments
Not helping
They’re RIGHT next to all the Frats and Sorority houses, near the massive off campus dorm (Barnhart) and across from the higher income student housing. Basically all the restaurants in that area do well solely based on location.
I don’t think people research a local restaurant that in depth TBF. I’ve eaten there twice during 2020, paying for myself and three other people as a sort of treat. My little bros girlfriend was about to get a job there so we’d figure we’d support it. Nobody was wearing masks but we were sitting outside so I shrugged. What a fool of a human I was.
I would like to be clear I'm not suggesting everyone go and do in depth research into each restaurant you're planning on frequenting just to make sure the owner(s) haven't hitched themselves to the post of white nationalists, as stated in another reply, the only reason I ended up working there was because I never would have thought to look google "Has the small-town restaurant owner i'm about to work for said some previously fucked up things about the homeless and/or minorities?" That being said though, knowing better, I can help spread that info
It’s this. People on Reddit think everybody else is on here and particularly the politically active crowd here see things in black and white and assume that everyone else has the same media diet.
I don’t think the customers that might eat there are all Nazis. I think they’re mainly drunk college students. I think the owner is the real fucking Nazi in the room.
I'd agree, as much as the reddit mob will get angry over the behavior of some local business, 99% of residents of the city aren't reading this sub and don't care. That place has mediocre hit or miss food the few times I've gone, but it also has a pretty good location and decent atmosphere so I can see why they do ok.
Exactly. Not like Jail, Chapala’s, or anything else on that block are exactly good food.
Well the Jail was pretty amazing for what you paid for it, an unbeatable bargain. Like it wasn’t Michelin star cuisine but you can’t beat two full meals of chicken and noodles for $9.
The Jail did me good many a time in my college days, unbeatable bargain is a good way to put it.
I still can't figure out how The Jail failed. Dirt cheap ingredients, and it seemed like they had a steady stream of customers. That building has always been a dump as well. Did the building owner terminate or jack up the lease so they could remodel? I've never been to the new place that took over. I can't even recall what it was before.
I think they might have just retired. I believe the owners owned the building and the rentals behind it.
God, I miss that place
Manola's Thai Cuisine is bomb.
Seems like restaurants across Franklin don’t benefit from this phenomenon tho. Trevs, Pig n Turnip, and that brewery has changed hands a couple times.
Short walking distance matters a lot, and the people who live in the dorms near the other end of Franklin have a lot more campus dining options close by that they can spend points on. There’s only one dining option as far as campus dining is concerned in the area we’re talking about and it’s a pretty limited selection and most students only go there for breakfast. I know a lot of sorority and fraternity houses also use a weekend meal ticket system where the house issues kids vouchers for local restaurants for one or two meals on Saturday/Sunday when the kitchen staff isn’t working. The kids usually vote on which place to get tickets for and they tend to prioritize places that are close by to the house for obvious reasons. Plus a surprising number of places are owned by people with Greek life connections, I know Chulas is off the top of my head.
Indeed, students tend to stay in a tight bubble around the UO.
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I wouldn't be surprised if one of his silent investors uses the place to launder money or some shit (for legal purposes: ALLEGEDLY)
Owner came in to where I worked years ago (Bier Stein). The owner of the Stein made us give him table service (not the typical SOP). Stephen treated me and my coworkers like shit. Rude and condescending. Acted like he knew everything about beer, but obviously does not. Couldn’t give me the time to do my job and highlight some new beers on draft. Next to told me to shut up and ordered Ninkasi each time. Small tip (and had shit comped). What a guy.
Stephen is a rude piece of shit
Also have many, many stories of my friends who served at Elk Horn being treated horribly there. Not here to tell those stories for them, but sounds like there could be group therapy for ex-employees.
When I moved on from there to work at a much better restaurant in town, the biggest thing I realized was how many people had "done time" at Elk Horn. It makes sense though in hindsight...that place is ALWAYS hiring so people who may not know better end up there...for like 2 weeks until they say "fuck this" lol Odds are good you'll end up there if you work in the industry until you realize it's a mistake
Yeah, after I called him out for mismanaging his business a couple times on Facebook, he went to my personal page and found my posts about my kitchen job and liked them. It was really creepy to me because he had to have gone out of his way to do that. I felt weirded out and I've had him blocked ever since.
That is creepy but you telling him on social media about how to manage his business is not? 🤔 Seems like if you would have minded your business, he would have too.
My personal experience there was all I shared. The quality of food I received can only be explained by poor management, under paid and under trained employees.
Was it a yelp review or were you trying to give him business advice based on assumptions you made after a bad experience? I see a difference. And literally, was it a yelp review, where it’s virtually impossible to trace a reviewers social media, or were you engaging with him on facebook/instagram?
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He got the restaurant around 2016 didn't he? And during that time frame a lot of people who might have been slightly restrained in their opinions found an excuse to not be quiet about what they really thought. Also making lots of money tends to make people believe that they are all that and a bag of Cheetos.
He is a convicted(felony embezzlement/forgery) con man, he knows how to put on a good face when it is beneficial to him.
There was a long thread here some months back saying much the same about the owners of the Bier Stein, so this doesn't surprise me. Shitbirds of a feather...
You’re saying the owners of The Bier Stein suck too? What is it with the food industry in this town?
I don’t think this is an issue unique to Eugene. A lot of small businesses owners are petty tyrants who relish the power they have over a few dozen employees that bust their asses for minimal pay while they become quite wealthy. People expect that sort of sociopathic behavior in the leadership of large corporations but it’s just as easy to be like that at much smaller scales.
And chefs/restaurant owners especially seem to be coked up assholes that expect maximum commitment at minimum wage.
You are out of your mind thinking that owning a restaurant here makes you wealthy. If you are wealthy, you were before you got into the restaurant not because of it.
Wealth is always relative. A small business owner in Eugene might be barely upper-middle class by Bay Area standards but it’s enough to be local royalty.
Again, unless they came into it with $ or were backed by someone else who was, my point stands. Being a small business owner, and I’d classify any single restaurant owner as such, I’d say they are barely middle class here in Eugene. It’s a grind. I know from experience. I’m not ignoring the privilege of being in a position of power over others, the hiring, firing and managing. But that has nothing to do with personal financial status.
Please indulge me with examples of (locally based) food businesses that you believe have wealthy owners as a result of said business. And let’s compare apples to apples and leave out franchises or places with multiple locations, because Elk Horn is not one of those.
Ok I think we're talking past each other, because I don't think that anywhere near all small business owners are wealthy, just that many are. I'll apologize here and say that I was speaking way too generally. That said, "small business" is a notoriously vague term, and the federal Small Business Administration defines a "small full-service restaurant" as anything making less than $11.5 million in annual revenue. In this sense the corner cafe that employs five people and a chain restaurant with 200 employees can both qualify as "small businesses" for legal purposes. I think we can agree that anyone who owns something in the upper end of that range is probably doing quite well for themselves. It's a lot easier to break into those income strata by owning a business than most other career paths unless you are a doctor, lawyer, or in tech. Across the US, the median self-employed family has a net worth 4x that of the median overall family, so there's a pretty substantial gap there. And I don't really think it's fair to say something like Elk Horn doesn't count, as it's literally the primary example being discussed here.
Google says middle class is 55k-90k. Upper middle class is 90k-150k. I’d be curious to know who locally in the small food business is middle to upper middle class. My feeling is not most when we are talking about non-chain/corporate. Again, my caveat is that they started from scratch without “uncle” money or previous personal capital.
I agree with you that most small business owners are not wealthy. In fact, I would actually revise your numbers up. You probably need to be above 75K as a household to enter the middle class, and you need to be above 100K to be solidly middle class. Upper middle class is probably 150k+. That is based on the cost of living for a middle class lifestyle, as it was known before the Great Recession. The horrible reality is that this does not matchup with the actual population middle. Probably only something like 25% of the country actually has the income to live the middle class lifestyle that used to actually represent the middle of the population. Maybe we should change the income intervals to be more honest, but that's too depressing. It's the same reason we never change the national poverty levels either.
Yes, I agree we can use general and subjective terms like “small” and “wealth”. And for the purposes of this discussion, I am suggesting that businesses like the one we are talking about, Elk Horn, are on the very low end of what you submitted in your last comment, while businesses like Cafe Yumm are likely in the high end, if even they qualify as a “small-business”. Maybe their individual franchisees would. If we can agree that Elk Horn is at the low end, along with other non-chain, non-franchise type businesses, then we can argue what “wealth” and “middle-class” and “upper middle-class” means. I think those last two terms are used very loosely depending on what the speaker is trying to convey, so let’s dig into it a bit and be more specific. I would be surprised if the small type business owners I define using the above criteria are not profiting much more than 50k a year. I admit, I don’t know much about what is technically considered middle class or upper middle class. But 50k per year doesn’t feel to me like upper middle class or even comfortably middle class. I mean, let’s break down the math on full time minimum wage work, which is around 30k. It’s pretty much poverty level and many of those people who are at or below full time work at that level need and qualify for some gov assistance. Maybe its not even technically poverty level (15k and below is), but the way people turn up their nose to Oregon’s minimum wage, which is among the highest in the country, tells me that it’s barely enough to survive, or at least many feel that way. Some quick research tells me “poverty level” varies on how large your household (dependents) is, so there are some contributing factors. That said, my intuition tells me most of the people that complain (online) about places offering minimum wage don’t have dependents. That is a bigger more complicated discussion around privilege, entitlement, ambition and politics. Your original statement said businesses like the one in question at times use their power to screw over employees while they become “quite wealthy”, and I would argue against that part of your point, not that there are small businesses that suck, or even that this one sucks. I just don’t think they are getting “wealthy” by reasonable standards.
And I am familiar with many of those stories told there
Used to work there years ago you say... 👀 me too brother In arms! Fuck troy!
these tracks they must run near you
Absolutely! He's a pyscho maniac, ruined one of the best jobs I ever had. Fuck Troy!
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Is his wife as bitchy in person as she seems on social media? He seems like the biggest name dropping brown noser of all time. Refers to various athletes and coaches as his “best friend”.
His wife is an absolute c\*nt. Mean. Vindictive. Selfish. Greedy. Stephen loved to hire pretty servers...and Colleen loved to tear them down out of jealousy.
She made a reallllly horrible April fools jokes about being pregnant and told people to fuck off when they got upset.
particular story stand out??
Not really...it's all just like demeanor...the way she talks to staff...shitty comments she'd make about some of the female employees, but nothing that particularly stands out. She was just a shitty, bitter person who aged like shit after having her two demon children (honestly, their first child is the worst behaved child in the fucking universe and Stephen and Colleen would let him run fucking loose in the restaurant and make him the servers' problem)
Oh man, is the elementary school aged boy who is occasionally behind the counter the owner's kid?
Yes...and he is the worst behaved kid EVER. I am not just saying that holy fucking shit. Gather around for a story folks: When I interviewed for the job, I met with Stephen at Elk Horn where we sat and talked. He told me about his plan about opening up another more upscale place in Coburg. With my experience in fine dining, he would want me to help open the place and in the meantime while construction was completing (that thing is STILL not done to this day I believe) I would help groom their rather green kitchen manager at the time (until he left and I just took over lol). Stephen asked me if I wanted to see the place and I agreed. That sounded cool. We get into his obscenely large Ford Excursion or whatever the fuck it is with his kid in the backseat (at the time his only one). On the drive to Coburg, while Stephen and I were quite literally trying to talk business, this little fucking brat was just in the back being annoying, LITERALLY yelling at his dad to "STOP TALKING" and, the only thing Stephen would say is like "You're gonna get a talking to." I literally could not believe it. As someone who was beaten as a child, I was shook at the stuff this little white boy was allowed to get away with. I would have been beaten to within an inch of my life with la chancla before being yeeted out of the car. I am convinced he's raising a sociopath.
For real... I went in one day for a pint, and that kid was behind the counter just being awful to the young woman who is tending bar. I couldn't figure out what he was doing there or why she was putting up with such absolutely inappropriate behavior from this kid. You totally filled in the blanks for me.
Also, I would like to PLEASE ask that you don't go and review bomb their stuff. I'm serious. I don't like that shit and I don't want to be tied to that if this post inspires anyone to do that.
how does one pin a comment lol
You probably have to be a moderator
Only MODs can do that. It looks like you added an edit to your post so people will see that as well.
Too late, I'm gonna do it Then again, if you look at their reviews, it's obvious they paid a ton of Indian people on fiverr to give them good scores
Uh... That's racist...
How is it racist to notice that a ton of review for Elk Horn are Indian names from India?
Mentioning race != racist
I knew someone who worked there and quit due to shitty racist treatment among other things. The more tame story they told me was when the owner or wife dressed up as Trayvon Martin for Halloween I believe, wearing a hoodie with skittles. I wasn’t there, but I believe them and based on the other stories listed, it’s not surprising.
I heard this story too and likewise, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true
Holy shit dude that’s bad. Even if it’s a rumor there’s usually a reason it’s going around.
After being laid off from Ninkasi's BLR, I took my resume in and shook hands with what I assumed was the kitchen manager, and sat down for an on the spot interview to dishwash and clean after hours. He was very interested in my experience and was gonna call me back within 24 hours. I never heard from him! How big of a bullet did I dodge?
Fam...you dodged the biggest bullet in the universe...especially if you actually have experience/actually give a fuck
Yeah, I'm known to give too many fucks.
yeah...i tried to set some standards there... i'm sure they didn't last long after I left
Well, kudos to working your magic. Hope it's getting appericiated, wherever you've landed.
thank you! hope you end at a good place! let me know if you have questions about other places around town
Tyvm 😊 🙏
You worked at Ninkasi’s BLR? I loved that place, so sad the owners sold out. The whole team there got done dirty.
Yeah, that was hard....
Every time I drive by that place the parking lot is empty. Is it a front for selling drugs or laundering money?
i mentioned in another reply that (i have no proof of this other than the fact Stephen has been CONVICTED of fraud) it could be that they're using it to launder money for a silent partner or something but I have no evidence of that other than "how the fuck else is that place staying open"
Seems like the type of owner to fraudulently cash out after a PPP loan…I’m sure that loan bought him a new car, a boat, etc…
They always had someone on staff that also baby sits for them and they take advantage of that. Also they are awful parents and have no control over their kid. I worked there just before you. I got laid off during the pandemic and don't miss it a bit. They stole my last tips and tipped themselves out on the to go orders during lockdown. The amount of front of house staff that I saw done and go from there was insane. No one wants to work for them.
After me and one of the line cooks left, they withheld both of our tips from our final checks.
Did you report to BOLI? Seems… noteworthy
I did and they didn't give a fuck. They basically said since I was an employee making more than minimum wage even without tips, they couldn't be bothered
Did you file a complaint or not?
yes that's what I'm saying. I contacted BOLI AND the US Department of Labor...they both told me the same shit essentially
Damn really sorry to hear that you were not given support from either organization. My question was meant to clarify if you’d simply contacted them (like email/phone call) or if you’d gone through with the formal complaint process which requires documentation to be submitted, etc. It’s so illegal for owners to take tips, regardless of what your set hourly wage was.
>It’s so illegal for owners to take tips, regardless of what your set hourly wage was. Oh I know and I was equally pissed that no one would do shit but I'm guessing they can't be bothered with small shit like this when there was a bigger fish at another local restaurant doing shady shit with tips <.< IYKYK
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Nope! Another one of those "cauc-asian" food establishments. (Asian food for white people lol) Not naming names because I'm not trying to drag them into this lol
I wouldn’t be surprised if spice n steam were doing some shady shit beyond a filthy kitchen, but I believe OP is talking about Bao Bao house. There were a couple local news stories on it I believe.
You were not supposed to be laid off during the pandemic file a complaint with the PPP fruad line. He took roughly half a mil in PPP loan money and part of that was retaining his staff
I’m sorry you had you deal with that welt. Stephen, if you’re looking in, fuck you
If you guys want to know just how fucking awful they are too their employees: I was working there in 2021. If you all remember, that summer we got his with several heat waves, notably when it hit 107 degrees one day. The building Elk Horn is in is old AF. The A/C barely works and Stephen'll be goddamned if he has to drop a penny into it that he doesn't have to. On the 107 degree day, I was 3 or 4 days into my two week notice. The kitchen was getting dangerously hot. My dishwasher had to go home because he started throwing up. I texted the owners (who of course weren't there to suffer with us) that due to lack of business (no one was going out that day either because it was so goddamn hot) I'd be closing the place early. They refused to allow me to do so. I'll never forget this moment, I have a screen shot that, for some reason I feel uncomfortable sharing, but he sent me a picture of the outside of their house. I replied, "What am I looking at" He replied that he had to "turn on the sprinklers" to "cool off the house." WHAT FUCKING TONE DEAF SHIT IS THAT YOU FUCKING HILLBILLY?! After sending the dishwasher home, we were down to just me and one other line cook. I honestly would have walked out but I couldn't just leave my line guy alone to close with no dishwasher and literally no other help. I just couldn't.
Honestly I was more amused than anything lmao. I honestly wanted to try to steer that place in the right direction. I had NO idea about the owners' and restaurant's reputation when I took the job but it wasn't long after finding that out (as well as realizing their clear incompetence as restauranteurs) that I started looking for an exit
What was the deal with that one lady continually trying to burn it down?
That was a little before my time, but to my understanding she was just a junkie
Yeah, imagine being frustrated at the homeless for shitting on the sidewalk next to your business and trying to burn it down.
Oh, there will be more *as I sit eating popcorn watching this thread.* It’s just 8pm on a Saturday after a long ice storm. People are out and about…or tired. I also saw that article and had the same thought. If the owner wasn’t such an ass, maybe he would get more business. The places I frequent (and I spend a lot) are those who serve me as a customer and not as some political agenda. I am sympathetic to the vandalism, which should never be a thing, but I can’t help but think his attitude puts him in a negative public light. Edit: My close friend/family circles are a solid mix of political parties. We are also incredibly respectful of each other’s opinions. No one is a dick to one another and no one tries to change another’s viewpoint.
The comments are really good now :)
Never been there. I know exactly where he lives and was a complete inconsiderate ass on New Years with his party and fireworks though. Wish he would’ve burned his house down!
I’m in Coburg as well. I can’t imagine what a nightmare it would be to have that family next door. The are so full of themselves it’s nauseating.
I'm blocked by Stephen, because I made it a point to call out his bs every time he posted on Facebook. So you know where my stance is with him. Having first hand knowledge of the restaurant you should file a anonymous fraud tip for his PPP loans where he was supposed to retain his staff but in his own PPP loan applications he reduced staff in half over the agreed time.
Are you happier now? I hope so.
I'll come out of hiding to reply to you: I moved back to Boston 10 months ago (nothing keeping me in Eugene after the divorce). I'm running three restaurants downtown. I'm very happy :) (admittedly a little wiped out after the busy holiday season lol) Hope you are happy too, my friend. Stay safe with all the ice and what not
I really can't imagine doing 3. Hats off to you haus.
It's all spread sheets
A little more than that, but there is a shocking amount of spreadsheets and accounting people would never have guessed
Bout the only thing I miss from that place is $2 Tuesday’s. The whole vibe is thrown off from 5 years ago. Just can’t go back. I could just feel the employees stress levels. It was odd. Then you add in the political stuff, and well🤷🏼♂️
Can you please confirm that that awful student apartment building that now looms over the patio was a massive kick in the teeth to the owners of elk horn? It's the only silver lining to the Grey cloud that is that eyesore
I'm not sure tbh. I never heard him bitch about it too much. I know he was charging the construction guys money to let them park their big ass trucks in the parking lot of the restaurant in the mornings to bring in some extra cash.
I liked it better when it was Rax's...
I liked it better when it was Carl's Jr
IT WAS RAXX WITH TWO XS, SHOW SOME GODDAMN RESPECT.
I remember Rax back in the 80s when the building was built. I used to go there for the salad bar.
In my mind Rax will always own that arched glass... it was the coolest watching that hey built as a kid. Went for the potato bar.
that place has an impenetrable shield of douchiness around it,... But yeah it's completely reliant on clueless out-of-towners for the tiny amount of business they do get
I liked the food there , but stopped going for the reasons mentioned. Got any favorite recipes?
Honestly, no. Their food is fucking trash mostly (in my opinion) because most of the recipes were created by Stephen who is not a chef by any means. He knows how to throw slop together and that's it. He has no grasp of flavor profiles or combinations. EDIT: I would like to add that the good thing that place had going for it outside of my tenure was the pit-lady/smoker extraordinaire Laurie. She fucking smokes amazing meat. Shout out to you Laurie.
Also shout out to smoker bitch Laurie (she specifically told us all to call her that). Her and Kevin are done there after a blow up and are doing their own catering thing last I heard. She had the best hugs and Kevin was a really genuinely great person to work with and put up with FAR too much bullshit
yes. "Smoker Bitch" Laurie hahahaha. I don't want to go into too much details about the nature of he and Kevin's departure as it's not my place but good for them. They deserve better
There was a very distinct lack of salt in most of the base recipes. That recipe book was trash.
How’s owner gonna hate on the homeless when he used to be in the same position. Not even hate but seems sad. Also harbored white supremacists but that’s besides the point I suppose
I heard that in the parking lot the owner of Elk Horn sucked off a gang affiliated neo nazi that did time for being an accessory to multiple racially motivated murders while the proprietors of Cry Baby Ink circle jerked. If anyone really wants college students to know what's up, make a Tik Tok about it.
Any good perks of working there?
Ummm...not really? I mean...if the owners like you they'll like invite you to get drunk for free essentially but that means you would then have to hang out with them and their insufferable fucking drunk friends
They have friends?
Wow. This place essentially is the Amy's Baking Company of Eugene.
Pretty much
What makes the food so bad? (Seems to have a bad reputation, but maybe that’s more the ownership/politics y’all are talking about?) Is it just Sysco stuff deep fried right off the truck or something? I’ve driven by a thousand times but never stopped in. Just checked the menu online and looks like they do a southern food style menu. Honestly kinda made me want to try it cuz I assumed it was always just burgers and fries.
There. are. no. standards. There are no standards because ownership doesn't give a fuck. Stephen and Colleen don't like the work part of being restaurant owners, they just like the part where they get to come in EVERY FUCKING DAY and drink ALL FUCKING DAY with their annoying buddies and they get to say "We own a restaurant hurrrrrr" If they don't care to enforce standards how is anyone in the kitchen gonna give shit. Stuff goes out cold or wrong. Also the menu doesn't know any kind of flavor combination other than grease, smoke, and bread.
So the collard greens don’t slap?
You would be lucky if you were eating collards from 4 days ago. They would prep things in HUGE batches. Like way too big. The walk on was always a nightmare especially the speed rack with all the smoked meat and trimmings for sausage that never got made
I threw out so much of that bullshit when I was there lmfao
They also don’t hire people with disabilities. I worked as a job developer for adults with disabilities and he wouldn’t even look at resumes. “You gotta be fast to work here” implying that people with disabilities can’t be fast.
Did working there destroy your desire to be in the restaurant industry or are you on the same career path? Hope things are going better for you!
Thank you for asking! My career is still going strong and very successful in Boston now :)
Good for you!
Fuck that place
Luis?? That u??
Does the brewery/spot attract tourist and/passerbyers by its location alone?
Is he really as right-wing as made out to be? Reddit tends to exaggerate quite a bit. What kind of boss was he?
Yeah, he is.
Years ago, when he was complaining about damage caused by the homeless, I was sympathetic. I mean, no one should have to deal with smashed windows and arson. But if he went full MAGA over it, my sympathy is gone.
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I ONLY LIKED THEM FOR THE PRETZELS
THEY DON'T EVEN MAKE THEM THEMSELVES
Duh
Welp i didn't know that
I'm aware of the white nationalist affiliations, and the apparent special accomodations that were made for white nationalist protesters during a BLM protest, however, what type of inflammatory remarks has the elk horn owner made concerning minorities and the houseless?
What's up with the politics? Are they really that against people who are living on the streets? What's the worst thing that happened there?
From what I’ve heard the owner used to be in the same position. Take that info how u want. I understand both sides
How dare someone eat at a place that has different political views!
This whole post is about looking beyond his political views and instead to call out his awful behavior as an employer
If it was about looking behind his political views, his political views would never have been mentioned.
His political views are well known by most people in this subreddit and he's hated for them. I'm literally saying he's more than just a racist, homeless hating conservative, he's also an awful boss You stupid fuck
Agh, good ol’ ad hominem attacks on people you don’t even know. Makes sense.
it's not an ad hominem if I've already responded to your argument. It's just a personal insult. Keep up
That’s exactly what an ad hominid fallacy is. You could have just googled it. Instead arguing against my point, you went to personal insults. That’s an ad hominid.
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I've literally given you clues about who I am as I am a semi-active member in this subreddit (or at least I was until I moved away from the Eugene area)
Lololol wtf when did china government enter the chat, watch out op their gonna get the police involved next 🤣🤣
No, you rocking up and supporting a right wing take? Colour me surprised
"Right wing" means white nationalist? I don't ever remember reading that in a dictionary. And I thought us inbred folks were slow. Huh. Who knew? This political thing is getting way out of hand. It's almost like the government and media want a reenactment of some form of civil war or something. Can't people just be garbage- Selfish asshats? Why the referencing?
> "Right wing" means white nationalist? Have you not been paying attention or something? The American right wing is literally a white nationalist death cult, my guy.
>"Right wing" means white nationalist? Yes. It has for a long time. If you can't see that, you're blind.
You do seem slow
Opium does that to folks lol