Local Coffee Shop Catches Flack
Riverbend Roastery has been a fixture in Strong River Bend (SRB) for about 15 years now. They are busy every weekday morning as commuters stop and get their coffee drinks on their way to work. They’ve built a great reputation in the community, and their customers absolutely love them. Owner, Jo Lahtaye, does a lot for the community, and she is beloved by SRB’s residents.
However, she and her coffee shop have recently come under fire for their hiring practices. Lahtaye said, “I have a good bit of turnover, because I hire a lot of teenagers. Most of them can only work in the mornings or after school. I do have a few people in their 20s that work part-time, but I’m always having to hire new people. It’s not ideal, but it’s the way it is in this business.”
Recently, Lahtaye has gotten blasted on social media for her hiring practices. She had two applicants that did not get hired, and they did not take it well. They both took to social media and blasted Riverbend Roastery and Lahtaye. Most people came to the defense of Lahtaye and her shop, but some vowed to boycott Riverbend Roastery.
Lahtaye said, “Look, I have a written established policy about the appearance of my workers. You cannot have blue, green, or pink hair or excessive body piercings. I can tolerate purple hair, but you gotta watch the blue, green, and pink ones. I’m cool with tattoos; you can have as many as you want. Both of these ladies would not have been in compliance with my policy. One had blue hair and multiple lip piercings, and the other had green hair and excessive nose piercings. I told them both that if they made changes to comply with the policy, they would probably be hired. But, they had no interest in making changes, so they didn’t get hired. It’s pretty cut and dry.”
Lahtaye added, “I know that blue and green hair and piercings are a part of barista culture, but I’m not down with it. I’m gonna take the high road. They can blast us all they want, but we’re just wanna make good coffee and serve our customers.”
One person on Facebook posted, “This is grounds for a class action lawsuit. This is blatant discrimination and against blue and green haired persons. I will never step foot in Riverbend Roastery again. It’s time for a boycott!”
One Riverbend Roastery customer posted, “The blue hair brigade is out in full force over this crap. It’s so stupid. If you don’t like it, don’t dye your hair you morons. I think this is only going to help Jo and her business even more. I know I’m gonna stop by even more to support them. Jump in a lake blue hair brigade!”
Lahtaye told me that this has indeed helped her business. She added that she’s having a lot of new customers that have said they’re coming in to support her because she was blasted online. This proves that in many instances the vocal minority are indeed a minority.
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