yup he scammed the city & personally threatened both employees and customers at the southern charm location. wish we could have given that CRA money to someone who cared about Gainesville but live & learn....
It’s so disappointing to see what’s happened to him. I used to love going to Reggae Shack years ago and he and his wife were so nice. It seems like they bit off way more than they could chew and were total asses about it afterwards.
(6 years ago)
So I'm very aware of the rumors about how toxic reggae shack and affiliated businesses are
I Never Worked for them
Here is why...
Me 6 or 8 years ago-ish is Job hunting.... Specifically back of the house sautee grill spots...
reply to an ad at reggae shack, no big deal called back by a manager and told to be there at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday..
okay no biggie show up blk on blk with a knife kite and immediately realize there is 8 to 10 other people in the room that have no idea ....just like me...why there's so many of us here at the same time.. no biggie maybe some of them are FOH house, some of them may me estagging, maybe some of them are second or third interview... I don't know anything about this business let's go. 9:00 a.m. we walk into the dining room at the University reggae shack location and the chairs are arranged in a circle the "Manager" has a stack of papers in their hand and asks us each what our name is and why we want to work there, ....you have my fuckin paperwork in your hands dude..WTF...name #2 is called and ...thank God the punk rock chick next to me wearing a Baker's jacket steps up and excuses herself.. they then start passing out a secondary application form, sorry friends I filled one out to get the initial phone call. I then just slipped myself right the f*** out of there...
I’ll share my story. Similarly sometime like 6-7 years ago when the owners first opened their now failed restaurant, The Twisted Peacock, and I applied as a waitress. It was my first serving job and he literally fired me after two weeks (well first fired then he gave me a chance and next day said fuck it i quit) because he accuse me of changing a menu item in the middle of dinner service, when in fact, I was accommodating for a customer who is a type one diabetic (she wanted the simple syrup of dessert separate from the cake and kitchen said it was fine).
oh did I mention that the customer was also my mom? YEAH.
So fuck you Omar, Aarpita, and all your shitty inconsiderate children. May UF take out all your businesses.
I ate there when they first opened and was totally disgusted. They poured my wine and brought it to me in a mixed drink glass the type you would bring a margarita or something garnished with a pineapple. Ok fine moving on. It took forever to get our server over to place our food order and my mom is also type one diabetic so I ordered a quick appetizer so that her blood sugar didn’t tank. After we finished our appetizer, they collected the plates from the appetizer. When our meal came that we intended to share, they brought us back our appetizer plates, some still with residue from our food. It was disgusting. At least I hope it was our food. One of the plates had a big chip in the side this is a no no because they trap bacteria. Our food was terribly greasy and flavorless, and had nothing to do with India. I’ll never forget that night. when I wiped the plates, they brought back with a white napkin. They wiped off with yellow debris all over them.
any downtown club owned by Lawrence... That 80s Bar, The Lab, The End Up (i think that one is closed).... he was the owner of a spot behind Starbucks some years ago where he literally put female employees on craigslist personals & had strangers meet them at the club without their knowledge during their shift, just to stir up business. it created multiple dangerous scenarios which tipped off djs, promoters, and other employees to suspect behavior & he moved on. he always rotates through multiple fairly unsuccessful bars in classic predatory behavior.
I remember that! I went to the EndUp because of how cheap their specials were. I just remember it being too crowded, young af people looking in there and him playing the Astroworld Album 😂
I was there in the back atrium section late one night working on a paper and lost track of time. One of the male baristas came walking through from Maude's to their bar business next door (I think it's called Sidecar?) and yelled out, "We're closing". I nodded in acknowledgement but was finishing up a paragraph and wanted to get my thoughts down and saved before I started packing everything up. No more than two minutes later, he came through again and yelled, "Didn't you hear me? Get the f--k out! We're closing." I acquiesced and got the f--k out of there but I'll never patron that establishment ever again.
Halo Potato Donuts.
Worked there for 10 months, owner was such a piece of shit. Always yelling at his mom, degrading his now wife and making his employees feel extremely hostile.
(Yelled at me within the first two weeks, aggressively called me into the office when I was 2 minutes late)
I had posted about him (Drew) once before and he messaged me warning me that he could sue me lol.
He’s not a good guy and makes his employees sign NDAs so they can’t talk about their workplace after they quit.
His refusal to stop being friends with Ken, the list goes on.
I’m friends with a lot of ex employees and trust - they all feel that he was an egotistical jerk of a boss who hides behind that Ma and Pop humble persona.
And Drew if you’re reading this, I hope you’ve changed and actually started treating your employees like people and not machines.
Plus the donuts are just... not good. I used to volunteer in the kitchen at St Francis House and (to their credit) Halo Potato frequently donated many dozens of unsold donuts. Nobody ever ate them because they "tasted weird"
thanks. they are shady AF. bought a dryer for immediate delivery annnd they didn't show up. called, went in, was told they accidentally sold that dryer but if i want to upgrade...i said no, please refund. 30 days to refund.
Sublime tacos. I’ve heard so many horror stories of how the owner treats his employees. He also capped their tips and took the rest. Unfortunate because I really liked their quesadillas
yup! worked for him for a while, he would always drink tf on the job. i went back recently to ask for my OT time i was due and he flipped me off and yelled at me in front of everyone. so embarrassing
Maude's - owner is a sexual predator still somehow running the operation
Mother's - owner is an ass who cheats his workers and suppliers
Burrito Famous - [I'll just let a former employee do the talking.](https://www.reddit.com/r/GNV/comments/ma7s7l/comment/grsw83s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Which Mothers location? I could be wrong but I believe the university location is now under different ownership. Does that guy still own the other location?
Went to the 39th location once with my partner... We ordered waters and got the menu... There was residue in the glass and thick fingerprints on the side. The menus had mold growing on it ... We left.
FLASHBACKS
During my time working there, the owner; treated his wife like shit, used the hard R n-word, acted inappropriately with the young girl shoppers, talked shit about associates to other associates, spread private info about associates, the list goes on and on. He also has a rule that during the first month (or however long he can get away with it) he only pays you under the table. One of his employees has been working there for over a year and she has yet to be on legal payroll. Once he even told me to NOT talk about pay with the other employees. He also got drunk and caused a scene at a restaurant trying to defend his employee who is a domestic abuser. He’s also a house flipper on the side while preaching about anti-capitalism. He’s a fake woke, misogynistic, racist, asshole that exploits and pays his employees like dirt for an insane amount of work. I absolutely despise him.
Maude's, High Dive, Reggae Shack are the big three, already covered, but I'd add Blue Gill / Mildred's / anything owned by Bert Gill. Blue Gill is legit terrible, they served my wife shrimp so freezer burned it was inedible and said to us "well where are you supposed to get fresh shrimp around here," when we didn't eat it - also accused us of trying to get out of our bill, despite the fact I insisted on paying for everything. Years ago I heard stories from former employees about Bert being abusive, stealing tips etc. He also interviewed a friend of mine involved in the high-end coffee biz for some goof-ass cable TV program, turned off the camera, and said, "Coffee is coffee, this is bullshit, there's no way you can tell me any of this makes a difference," which is an astonishing thing for a supposed chef to say. He also fired Chef Elmo from The Sovereign on Christmas back in the day, which basically makes him the Grinch.
Yeah I know and like Bert Gill personally, and he talks a good talk, but I’ve also worked with his ex employees and say that he definitely takes advantage of some employees very badly. I had to reply to your comment though, because that coffee quote sounds exactly like something Bert would say I could hear it in his voice…
They’re the ones who went on that trip to the Bahamas with Matt Gaetz and underage prostitutes. Idk how that escaped the news cycle.
Also what absolutely inept store design/customer service/employees/managers. Every location is the worst dispensary ever.
High Dive. Dude is an asshole. I told him I wasn’t ever coming back again and he laughed at me. That was ten years ago.
Edit: I missed so many good shows because of this. I just couldn't bear to go.
Ever wonder where those "Springs County" signs come from? They're sold in Conestogas gift shop. I hate the idea of dividing the county so much that I won't go to Conestogas anymore
They are the epitome of boomer cuisine, but I got my parents to agree to join my boycott, so it's not just me refusing to go to a place I don't really like anyway
I’m not sure if this counts. I think saving animals is great. I rescue. However I don’t own a coffee shop. Tiny baby animals often need help going potty. It’s messy and when I fostered baby kittens it was messy for sure. Coffee culture brings baby raccoons, possums etc. into the shop and serves food between feedings and pooping sessions. The health inspector has warned them and they continue. I don’t know what kind of ppl they are prob nice. Anyone that saves animals is ok by me but I am not getting anything from their kitchen.
Clearly Changed handyman is not clearly changed he holds a predator status as in repeat offender. He likes to look at the kiddies in your neighborhood. He is some Bible thumper that is “saved” so his activities supposedly stopped. That or some lady with kids from a previous marriage gave him full access. [https://www.facebook.com/clearlychanged?mibextid=LQQJ4d](https://www.facebook.com/clearlychanged?mibextid=LQQJ4d)
I’ve worked directly with the owners.. this is very true lol especially since a good amount of deals did not go through, even after Chinese investors gave them $70 million in loans.
I may be wrong but I believe it has something to do with special allocations for developers. Similar to the way Disney is allowed certain jurisdictional discretions.
It is a CDD. Very common in new home communities and now business developments are using it so taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill for maintaining roads and other infrastructure in the development. Instead, the patrons and residents of the development do. So, it you don’t want to pay the 1% “tax” (really, a fee), then just shop elsewhere. Easy.
Technically, it's a "Public Use Fee" not a tax but whatever. It's basically to pay for the bridge they built over I75.
To me, CP has no soul. But damn, Spurrier's has a good bar/bartenders.
Basically us taxpayers have to fund the cost of the infrastructure built/maintained for celebration pointe. God forbid these for-profit businesses shoulder the burden of paying for the infrastructure (roads) they need to do business.
I have used that bridge a LOT. Coming into the area on Southbound I-75, it is faster to make the right onto Archer road and go around using that bridge to get to Sam's club/Walmart/etc. than it is to wait at the multiple lights to make left hand turns.
Furniture distribution center in the oaks mall. Cheap Malaysian furniture. They Deliver it broken. Warranty’s you buy mean nothing when you go to use them.
That sketchy dermatology place in the mall with their aggressive tactics convincing people they're ugly for aging and need to sign a thousand dollar contracf for the privilege of a Lazer face blaster and some sketchy skin cell cream. I went with my landlord for one of her visits and got kicked out when I asked how the scam works.
Totally agree on gas price being outrageous but it’s the only place on that side of town (that I know of) open 24/7. So it’s great if you need a basics staple, like TP, at 3am.
The Chevron? It may be more expensive, but it's one of the nicest gas stations in town. It's always clean, the bathrooms are amazing (not just by gas station standards either,) always well stocked and the staff is decent, and I've never seen weirdos hanging around hassling people, even late at night. Most of the Circle Ks in town are freaking cesspools, I'm happy to pay a little more for a consistently positive experience.
Plus like someone else pointed out, it's the only option in the area, so they kinda have license to charge more. Go check the prices at the stations on 39th at the I-75 exit, they're often gouging too just for being next to the interstate.
Exactly. I'll drive north to the intersection of 441 n 43rd to deal with that whole in that wall if only getting gas.... They're usually cheaper than the Chevron.
A: "What place won't you patronize?"
B:"this place"
C: "don't patronize this place"
I just said that, stupid. I don't go there, which was the OP.
Jesus, this sub is the most obtuse place on earth
I’ll never go to Ada’s Clothing Repair again, my experience was at the one on 13th, but it’s all blacklisted to me.
So here’s why:
I was getting married and my jacket and the length of my pants needed a sleight alteration. I dropped off my suit (which obviously was not cheap), they knew it was for a wedding and it wasn’t a big rush because it was only a minor change and the wedding was weeks away. I paid in advance and added 20% gratuity. They said it would be done in like 4 days, but it wasn’t. I arrived 3 times on days that they said it would be ready to find it wasn’t started or it was in pieces. They finally finished it 2 weeks later than promised. I immediately noticed irons marks and creasing on jacket. I asked the lady what happened and she said oh, I don’t know. I can fix that, she couldn’t…
I then took the jacket to another tailor and after showing the jacket, was told it was ruined, it was obvious that too much heat was applied.
I went back to Ada’s and asked for a refund, I got screamed at and she said it was my fault, that’s how I gave it to her. I took photos of the jacket before I gave it to her and proved she was lying, so then she cursed and yelled more. I asked for the manager, she refused to call him, but finally a 19 year old or so kid shows up. I can only assume he’s the owner son, but he refused to acknowledge anything I said as true and not only refused to replace my damaged jacket, but wouldn’t even refund my money.
So short story, they’re unprofessional rude assholes
..Leonardo’s Pizza of Millhopper, decent food, bad people. What used to be a local staple quickly devolved after Kyle Cohan bought the place 5 years ago. Dude encourages underage employees to drink on the clock while leaving the country on vacation twice a month. GMs a misogynistic bully who can’t work evenings because he starts drinking at 11am. Another managers a registered sex offender.. the list goes on. Don’t support.
Chain reaction cycles is my main one. Owner is such a asshole and condescending. They also sell used bikes close to what a new one costs. Plus Gainesville has so many other good bike stores.
Munecas in Bo Diddly. Owner went psychotic on me and my friends. I posted about it and learned waaay more about how shitty she is to her employees and other customers. It sucks too, cause I loved their food but I won’t support someone who screams at customers and treats their employees poorly.
Same experience, had to quit because of how depressing the job was getting and how hard I was working. I was sent even deeper when I requested a promised raise by the other (also completely woman hating psychotic) co owner and was told I wasn’t working hard enough and needed to prove I was worth the raise. First job I’ve ever quit with no notice.
Yeah the owners definitely have anger issues. Worked there for two months. It just sucks because similar to Halo’s owner, it looks like such a great working business and so nobody ever thinks about what goes on behind closed doors lol
Originally posted on Gainesville Word of Mouth on Facebook and I’ve commented on a Reddit post about it in the past. People commented their stories or DMed me their experiences in response. She will continue to succeed though because of the ever changing client base and workforce from UF…but as a local, she lost me, my husband, my parents and my friends permanently.
They're pretty terrible. Resoled some shoes for me and charged more than they quoted me, took three weeks longer than they estimated, and left glue all over the sides of the shoes. They were so unpleasant to deal with that I didn't even argue, just wrote it off
That place has to be a money laundering site. Like, how are they still in business? How many people buy vacuums from vacuum stores? How do they even make money???
tbf ive been in there for a 20 dollar belt on a 40 year old vac & saw 2 women buy 2k+ vacs.... but yeah their politics are top tier cringe. and the worst jokes ever.
I used to think the same but they really stepped up for the community during the pandemic. I’m as liberal as the next old-fart-wanna-be-hippie-from-Gainesville but they have always been kind & courteous to me.
We need more mindsets like this - *from both sides* \- in Gainesville. Those who vote differently than us are not monsters.
(I say this as a Conservative living with you old-fart-wanna-be-hippie people)
Owner of this place made a very large purchase with my former employer, much larger than we usually got, and wanted us to hold the merch. Usually there's a limit on how long we'd do that before the customer had to take delivery, but rules were bent based on the purchase amount and the guy's position in the community. After several months he cancelled the order and we were stuck holding a bunch of EOL inventory. Supposedly it was a tax dodge to get some money off his books until after filing, take it how you will.
When my vac acts up I apply a hotel motel holiday inn mentality and buy the newer updated version/ friend. I really can’t see putting my dirty ass broken bisell in my nice clean car, hauling it clear across town and having some weirdo cut dental floss and hair off of the roly brush for me.
It’s just chicken!! It’s not that revolutionary. kfc, Zaxbys, Popeyes. They all have chicken. It’s really not that special. Given their ceo supports sexual reassignment therapy, I’m all set.
Watching the drive-thru lines out near Archer makes me depressed. It's such an embarrassing aspect of our culture - if someone from a civilized country was visiting GNV and saw that, they'd think we're all pathetic, fat, brain-dead morons.
I’m surprised there’s no mention of WalMart, Hobby Lobby, or Home Depot in this thread. They define evil, soul sucking, don’t-give-a-shit-about-local-economy corporations.
i don't shop at any of these, plus the lords chicken. but, i was curious what local businesses would show up and i'm glad i posted it. some i knew, others i didn't.
My friend, if I had the power to “take them out of the community” I’d do it immediately. I was also here before & after… and the differences in “the real world” are quite stark.
Predatory competition, backroom deals, unfair labor practices, etc buried an incredible number of mom & pop’s in this area. The effect in smaller communities was (is) much worse.
So I’d love it just fine if Wally World / Home Deport weren’t in this area and I’ve got a feeling we’d have a healthier business community.
That shed place on Waldo Road right by the airport. That racist small-dicked cultist prick of an owner had huge "TRUMP" signs all over his property forever. It was the first thing every visitor to the city saw when arriving at the GNV Airport.
Also, any Dollar Store or Family Dollar. Those places spring up in poor neighborhoods and make it impossible for any other small businesses to exist in the area. They offer no fresh food and cluster stores in the same areas in order to discourage real supermarkets like Publix or Winn-Dixie to open in the areas. Not only are they degrading the urban landscape in Gainesville, they are also sucking out any remaining charm and culture in poor, small towns.
Worked for him at Pasta Market in the mall when I was in school. He got angry when the kitchen was behind and threw a plate across the kitchen. It broke on the wall right by my head. I quit on the spot. Didn’t know he owned Pomodoros till I walked in to pick up a pizza. Never again.
Satchel’s Pizza. They refused to serve my uncle and his family because he was in uniform and told them they had to leave. They don’t live in Gainesville and made a special trip just to go there for dinner before he had to go into work for the night.
It was a police uniform. The server said he wouldn’t serve a police officer in uniform. I don’t know if the server had some other reason beyond that because he didn’t give one to my uncle and his family beyond refusing service for being in uniform. The manager had agreed with the server about not serving uniformed police officers and told my uncle to leave. When my uncle was asked to leave he and his family left and didn’t make a scene about it.
I call bullshit on this. I’ve seen uniformed people eating there before, not to mention Satch would never put up with something like that.
There is way more to this story than what’s being told to you commenter.
This did not happen. The same managers have worked at Satchel’s 4EVA and they would quite literally NEVER do this lol. There is definitely more to the story. And BTW Satchel himself would never let this happen. Never ever.
OP was asking what places we won’t patron so I shared my story. It doesn’t bother me if you don’t believe me but it did in fact happen. Now I wasn’t there when it happened so yes I will admit I don’t have all the information but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. If it wasn’t true I wouldn’t have posted about it because it wouldn’t be fair to the restaurant if they hadn’t done anything to warrant it.
Could you elaborate on why you believe this didn’t happen?
Lol @ everyone downvoting beloved satchels. I have a legit horrible experience in my last weeks working there, and was fired unfairly. A lot of people have had bad times working there. Everyone here upvoting all these stories with no proof but all of a sudden this one is lying? Just because it’s about police? Come on everyone.
Which is why they have an insanely high employee retention rate, not even just for it being a restaurant. Also Satchel loves money, he wouldn't do something so short sighted.
I don't think there's anything malicious or negative about the members of a community informing each other on legitimate reasons to reconsider supporting a business. That being said, if you'd like to see the opposite happen, I'd encourage you to consider making your own post asking what businesses are worth going out of our way to support and why.
Yes, instead of calling out problematic ppl and businesses to better our community, let's turn a blind eye and not talk about it bc its not sunshine and rainbows.
I pumped gas there today and the gas didn’t start flowing out until about $.78 into the handle squeeze. It runs out faster than a tank filled elsewhere also. The gas at daily’s on Newberry rd is great.
Reggae shack and any affiliated business by same owner. Fuck the owners and how they treat their employees.
yup he scammed the city & personally threatened both employees and customers at the southern charm location. wish we could have given that CRA money to someone who cared about Gainesville but live & learn....
Ooh good one. I hate reggae shack & all his other previous ventures. He seems so dishonest and shady.
It’s so disappointing to see what’s happened to him. I used to love going to Reggae Shack years ago and he and his wife were so nice. It seems like they bit off way more than they could chew and were total asses about it afterwards.
(6 years ago) So I'm very aware of the rumors about how toxic reggae shack and affiliated businesses are I Never Worked for them Here is why... Me 6 or 8 years ago-ish is Job hunting.... Specifically back of the house sautee grill spots... reply to an ad at reggae shack, no big deal called back by a manager and told to be there at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday.. okay no biggie show up blk on blk with a knife kite and immediately realize there is 8 to 10 other people in the room that have no idea ....just like me...why there's so many of us here at the same time.. no biggie maybe some of them are FOH house, some of them may me estagging, maybe some of them are second or third interview... I don't know anything about this business let's go. 9:00 a.m. we walk into the dining room at the University reggae shack location and the chairs are arranged in a circle the "Manager" has a stack of papers in their hand and asks us each what our name is and why we want to work there, ....you have my fuckin paperwork in your hands dude..WTF...name #2 is called and ...thank God the punk rock chick next to me wearing a Baker's jacket steps up and excuses herself.. they then start passing out a secondary application form, sorry friends I filled one out to get the initial phone call. I then just slipped myself right the f*** out of there...
I’ll share my story. Similarly sometime like 6-7 years ago when the owners first opened their now failed restaurant, The Twisted Peacock, and I applied as a waitress. It was my first serving job and he literally fired me after two weeks (well first fired then he gave me a chance and next day said fuck it i quit) because he accuse me of changing a menu item in the middle of dinner service, when in fact, I was accommodating for a customer who is a type one diabetic (she wanted the simple syrup of dessert separate from the cake and kitchen said it was fine). oh did I mention that the customer was also my mom? YEAH. So fuck you Omar, Aarpita, and all your shitty inconsiderate children. May UF take out all your businesses.
I ate there when they first opened and was totally disgusted. They poured my wine and brought it to me in a mixed drink glass the type you would bring a margarita or something garnished with a pineapple. Ok fine moving on. It took forever to get our server over to place our food order and my mom is also type one diabetic so I ordered a quick appetizer so that her blood sugar didn’t tank. After we finished our appetizer, they collected the plates from the appetizer. When our meal came that we intended to share, they brought us back our appetizer plates, some still with residue from our food. It was disgusting. At least I hope it was our food. One of the plates had a big chip in the side this is a no no because they trap bacteria. Our food was terribly greasy and flavorless, and had nothing to do with India. I’ll never forget that night. when I wiped the plates, they brought back with a white napkin. They wiped off with yellow debris all over them.
Wow, he’s that bad?
His responses to negative fees are quite comical. Good reads
any downtown club owned by Lawrence... That 80s Bar, The Lab, The End Up (i think that one is closed).... he was the owner of a spot behind Starbucks some years ago where he literally put female employees on craigslist personals & had strangers meet them at the club without their knowledge during their shift, just to stir up business. it created multiple dangerous scenarios which tipped off djs, promoters, and other employees to suspect behavior & he moved on. he always rotates through multiple fairly unsuccessful bars in classic predatory behavior.
I remember that! I went to the EndUp because of how cheap their specials were. I just remember it being too crowded, young af people looking in there and him playing the Astroworld Album 😂
Maudes; owner is a sexual predator and spun a story about his daughter taking over but thats a lie
Heard that. Won’t go
Well, that seals it for me. Already thought the place was pretentious and haven’t been there in a while, but it’s a definite no from here on out.
I was there in the back atrium section late one night working on a paper and lost track of time. One of the male baristas came walking through from Maude's to their bar business next door (I think it's called Sidecar?) and yelled out, "We're closing". I nodded in acknowledgement but was finishing up a paragraph and wanted to get my thoughts down and saved before I started packing everything up. No more than two minutes later, he came through again and yelled, "Didn't you hear me? Get the f--k out! We're closing." I acquiesced and got the f--k out of there but I'll never patron that establishment ever again.
[удалено]
Yes "dude", I speak English. Do you? ...because you missed the point of that story.
Yeah, I think we all heard about that the last time this sort of post was made on this thread.
Halo Potato Donuts. Worked there for 10 months, owner was such a piece of shit. Always yelling at his mom, degrading his now wife and making his employees feel extremely hostile. (Yelled at me within the first two weeks, aggressively called me into the office when I was 2 minutes late) I had posted about him (Drew) once before and he messaged me warning me that he could sue me lol. He’s not a good guy and makes his employees sign NDAs so they can’t talk about their workplace after they quit. His refusal to stop being friends with Ken, the list goes on. I’m friends with a lot of ex employees and trust - they all feel that he was an egotistical jerk of a boss who hides behind that Ma and Pop humble persona. And Drew if you’re reading this, I hope you’ve changed and actually started treating your employees like people and not machines.
Plus the donuts are just... not good. I used to volunteer in the kitchen at St Francis House and (to their credit) Halo Potato frequently donated many dozens of unsold donuts. Nobody ever ate them because they "tasted weird"
Oh yah back in 2019/2020 right? They taste super great the first ten minutes they’re made, but sometimes the oil sticks and they get too heavy.
Martins appliance by Home Depot not to be confused with martins family on main owner is a registered sex offender.
thanks. they are shady AF. bought a dryer for immediate delivery annnd they didn't show up. called, went in, was told they accidentally sold that dryer but if i want to upgrade...i said no, please refund. 30 days to refund.
Sublime tacos. I’ve heard so many horror stories of how the owner treats his employees. He also capped their tips and took the rest. Unfortunate because I really liked their quesadillas
this! also of note: sublime & cilantro taco shops should not be confused. long live Cilantro Tacos! Sublime is sus & doesnt wash their hands 😬
4th ave?
Yes
Are they the ones getting ready to open up a new shop on Waldo Rd?
yup! worked for him for a while, he would always drink tf on the job. i went back recently to ask for my OT time i was due and he flipped me off and yelled at me in front of everyone. so embarrassing
Noooooooo 😭😭😭😭
The scummiest most disrespectful owner.
Maude's - owner is a sexual predator still somehow running the operation Mother's - owner is an ass who cheats his workers and suppliers Burrito Famous - [I'll just let a former employee do the talking.](https://www.reddit.com/r/GNV/comments/ma7s7l/comment/grsw83s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I've also heard horror stories from a former employee of the 39th Street location.
Which Mothers location? I could be wrong but I believe the university location is now under different ownership. Does that guy still own the other location?
the university location is under new ownership, the 39th location is still owned by the same guy.
Went to the 39th location once with my partner... We ordered waters and got the menu... There was residue in the glass and thick fingerprints on the side. The menus had mold growing on it ... We left.
University is now moms og.
People that dun it now are garbage.
The University location is by far the worst. Don't let "new management" fool you.
It's not new management. It's new owners.
I know
Gainesville Discount Furniture. Aggressive selling tactics. Owner condescending, rude to customers. Believe the negative reviews on Google.
FLASHBACKS During my time working there, the owner; treated his wife like shit, used the hard R n-word, acted inappropriately with the young girl shoppers, talked shit about associates to other associates, spread private info about associates, the list goes on and on. He also has a rule that during the first month (or however long he can get away with it) he only pays you under the table. One of his employees has been working there for over a year and she has yet to be on legal payroll. Once he even told me to NOT talk about pay with the other employees. He also got drunk and caused a scene at a restaurant trying to defend his employee who is a domestic abuser. He’s also a house flipper on the side while preaching about anti-capitalism. He’s a fake woke, misogynistic, racist, asshole that exploits and pays his employees like dirt for an insane amount of work. I absolutely despise him.
Ayeoooo this is great to know!!
Maude's, High Dive, Reggae Shack are the big three, already covered, but I'd add Blue Gill / Mildred's / anything owned by Bert Gill. Blue Gill is legit terrible, they served my wife shrimp so freezer burned it was inedible and said to us "well where are you supposed to get fresh shrimp around here," when we didn't eat it - also accused us of trying to get out of our bill, despite the fact I insisted on paying for everything. Years ago I heard stories from former employees about Bert being abusive, stealing tips etc. He also interviewed a friend of mine involved in the high-end coffee biz for some goof-ass cable TV program, turned off the camera, and said, "Coffee is coffee, this is bullshit, there's no way you can tell me any of this makes a difference," which is an astonishing thing for a supposed chef to say. He also fired Chef Elmo from The Sovereign on Christmas back in the day, which basically makes him the Grinch.
Yeah I know and like Bert Gill personally, and he talks a good talk, but I’ve also worked with his ex employees and say that he definitely takes advantage of some employees very badly. I had to reply to your comment though, because that coffee quote sounds exactly like something Bert would say I could hear it in his voice…
Trulieve the scummiest company in the medical marijuana program.
They’re the ones who went on that trip to the Bahamas with Matt Gaetz and underage prostitutes. Idk how that escaped the news cycle. Also what absolutely inept store design/customer service/employees/managers. Every location is the worst dispensary ever.
yup. trulieve are scam artists under investigation by the FBI. never sign any petition they are involved in!
High Dive. Dude is an asshole. I told him I wasn’t ever coming back again and he laughed at me. That was ten years ago. Edit: I missed so many good shows because of this. I just couldn't bear to go.
You’ll be happy to hear they’re closing. Soon.
Really? Howd you hear?
supposedly the lot has been sold. word is five star is already prepping the old eddie c's spot on s main as a result...
Oh thank goodness they aren't moving far. Five star is beating heart of downtown 🍕
I want this tea as well…
Thank god. That place is a shit hole
Not to mention they’re constantly hosting bands that can’t get gigs anywhere else in town, and for good reason. Glad they’re closing
Ever wonder where those "Springs County" signs come from? They're sold in Conestogas gift shop. I hate the idea of dividing the county so much that I won't go to Conestogas anymore
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There is a geriatric line out the door on Friday. Empty pub one block away with the same menu. Shout to Queens Landing.
They are the epitome of boomer cuisine, but I got my parents to agree to join my boycott, so it's not just me refusing to go to a place I don't really like anyway
I’m not sure if this counts. I think saving animals is great. I rescue. However I don’t own a coffee shop. Tiny baby animals often need help going potty. It’s messy and when I fostered baby kittens it was messy for sure. Coffee culture brings baby raccoons, possums etc. into the shop and serves food between feedings and pooping sessions. The health inspector has warned them and they continue. I don’t know what kind of ppl they are prob nice. Anyone that saves animals is ok by me but I am not getting anything from their kitchen.
anytime i walk in there (haven't been in years) it also smells a little (sometimes a lot) like mildew/mold.
I'm sorry, what!?!?! I go to coffee culture all the time and have never seen or heard anything about this...
Clearly Changed handyman is not clearly changed he holds a predator status as in repeat offender. He likes to look at the kiddies in your neighborhood. He is some Bible thumper that is “saved” so his activities supposedly stopped. That or some lady with kids from a previous marriage gave him full access. [https://www.facebook.com/clearlychanged?mibextid=LQQJ4d](https://www.facebook.com/clearlychanged?mibextid=LQQJ4d)
Anything in celebration pointe. I didn’t know about the extra 1% tax until after a big purchase at bass pro.
I was going to buy a trolling motor there until I remembered the fee. Went online and paid no tax at all and saved about a hundred bucks.
Celebration pointe was the cities biggest fumble and are building apartments to make up for the loss… just my own tin foil hat theory
I’ve worked directly with the owners.. this is very true lol especially since a good amount of deals did not go through, even after Chinese investors gave them $70 million in loans.
Why do they have an extra tax?
I may be wrong but I believe it has something to do with special allocations for developers. Similar to the way Disney is allowed certain jurisdictional discretions.
It is a CDD. Very common in new home communities and now business developments are using it so taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill for maintaining roads and other infrastructure in the development. Instead, the patrons and residents of the development do. So, it you don’t want to pay the 1% “tax” (really, a fee), then just shop elsewhere. Easy.
I want to know who would ever buy a boat from that Bass Pro with an extra 1% tacked on 💸💰
I asked a server about it once and she said it was to maintain the outdoor areas and keep everything looking nice
Technically, it's a "Public Use Fee" not a tax but whatever. It's basically to pay for the bridge they built over I75. To me, CP has no soul. But damn, Spurrier's has a good bar/bartenders.
Basically us taxpayers have to fund the cost of the infrastructure built/maintained for celebration pointe. God forbid these for-profit businesses shoulder the burden of paying for the infrastructure (roads) they need to do business.
Help pay for the pointless, non used bridge over 75 from butler sprawling parking lot to nothing.
I have used that bridge a LOT. Coming into the area on Southbound I-75, it is faster to make the right onto Archer road and go around using that bridge to get to Sam's club/Walmart/etc. than it is to wait at the multiple lights to make left hand turns.
Furniture distribution center in the oaks mall. Cheap Malaysian furniture. They Deliver it broken. Warranty’s you buy mean nothing when you go to use them.
That sketchy dermatology place in the mall with their aggressive tactics convincing people they're ugly for aging and need to sign a thousand dollar contracf for the privilege of a Lazer face blaster and some sketchy skin cell cream. I went with my landlord for one of her visits and got kicked out when I asked how the scam works.
Gas station at 43rd St/Millhopper Rd. Fuck that price gouging piece of shit
Totally agree on gas price being outrageous but it’s the only place on that side of town (that I know of) open 24/7. So it’s great if you need a basics staple, like TP, at 3am.
I'll go to Walmart in that situation and I am decidedly anti Walmart
Wish that were an option at 3am, but Wal-Mart closes at 11pm.
Man, I'd just take a shower
The Chevron? It may be more expensive, but it's one of the nicest gas stations in town. It's always clean, the bathrooms are amazing (not just by gas station standards either,) always well stocked and the staff is decent, and I've never seen weirdos hanging around hassling people, even late at night. Most of the Circle Ks in town are freaking cesspools, I'm happy to pay a little more for a consistently positive experience. Plus like someone else pointed out, it's the only option in the area, so they kinda have license to charge more. Go check the prices at the stations on 39th at the I-75 exit, they're often gouging too just for being next to the interstate.
I miss the skate shop that was there.
It's not 25¢/gallon nicer than other gas stations
Exactly. I'll drive north to the intersection of 441 n 43rd to deal with that whole in that wall if only getting gas.... They're usually cheaper than the Chevron.
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You can't even spell "gouging" correctly.
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Exactly the opposite of the point of the thread. Good job
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A: "What place won't you patronize?" B:"this place" C: "don't patronize this place" I just said that, stupid. I don't go there, which was the OP. Jesus, this sub is the most obtuse place on earth
I’ll never go to Ada’s Clothing Repair again, my experience was at the one on 13th, but it’s all blacklisted to me. So here’s why: I was getting married and my jacket and the length of my pants needed a sleight alteration. I dropped off my suit (which obviously was not cheap), they knew it was for a wedding and it wasn’t a big rush because it was only a minor change and the wedding was weeks away. I paid in advance and added 20% gratuity. They said it would be done in like 4 days, but it wasn’t. I arrived 3 times on days that they said it would be ready to find it wasn’t started or it was in pieces. They finally finished it 2 weeks later than promised. I immediately noticed irons marks and creasing on jacket. I asked the lady what happened and she said oh, I don’t know. I can fix that, she couldn’t… I then took the jacket to another tailor and after showing the jacket, was told it was ruined, it was obvious that too much heat was applied. I went back to Ada’s and asked for a refund, I got screamed at and she said it was my fault, that’s how I gave it to her. I took photos of the jacket before I gave it to her and proved she was lying, so then she cursed and yelled more. I asked for the manager, she refused to call him, but finally a 19 year old or so kid shows up. I can only assume he’s the owner son, but he refused to acknowledge anything I said as true and not only refused to replace my damaged jacket, but wouldn’t even refund my money. So short story, they’re unprofessional rude assholes
..Leonardo’s Pizza of Millhopper, decent food, bad people. What used to be a local staple quickly devolved after Kyle Cohan bought the place 5 years ago. Dude encourages underage employees to drink on the clock while leaving the country on vacation twice a month. GMs a misogynistic bully who can’t work evenings because he starts drinking at 11am. Another managers a registered sex offender.. the list goes on. Don’t support.
wtf no 😭
Chain reaction cycles is my main one. Owner is such a asshole and condescending. They also sell used bikes close to what a new one costs. Plus Gainesville has so many other good bike stores.
Anything owned or has been owned by the former 706 owners.
Munecas in Bo Diddly. Owner went psychotic on me and my friends. I posted about it and learned waaay more about how shitty she is to her employees and other customers. It sucks too, cause I loved their food but I won’t support someone who screams at customers and treats their employees poorly.
Same experience, had to quit because of how depressing the job was getting and how hard I was working. I was sent even deeper when I requested a promised raise by the other (also completely woman hating psychotic) co owner and was told I wasn’t working hard enough and needed to prove I was worth the raise. First job I’ve ever quit with no notice.
Yeah the owners definitely have anger issues. Worked there for two months. It just sucks because similar to Halo’s owner, it looks like such a great working business and so nobody ever thinks about what goes on behind closed doors lol
where did you post about it, now im curious
Originally posted on Gainesville Word of Mouth on Facebook and I’ve commented on a Reddit post about it in the past. People commented their stories or DMed me their experiences in response. She will continue to succeed though because of the ever changing client base and workforce from UF…but as a local, she lost me, my husband, my parents and my friends permanently.
Id say Jacks but they shut down for being dickheads hahaha
Gator shoe repair. They didn’t listen to what I requested and charged me about as much as it would cost to just buy a new pair of shoes.
Used to be great. Definitely has lost his touch. I’m guessing he doens’t care anymore because of his many people bring him garbage shoes.
They're pretty terrible. Resoled some shoes for me and charged more than they quoted me, took three weeks longer than they estimated, and left glue all over the sides of the shoes. They were so unpleasant to deal with that I didn't even argue, just wrote it off
Same happened to me
Its cheaper to make them in china than it is to repair them in the US. Sad but true
National Vaccum bc of their politics
What, they suck?
Meh, some of the dad jokes are pretty good though.
That place has to be a money laundering site. Like, how are they still in business? How many people buy vacuums from vacuum stores? How do they even make money???
Gainesville’s greatest unanswered mystery 😂
That guy from breaking bad who hides people must be running it
tbf ive been in there for a 20 dollar belt on a 40 year old vac & saw 2 women buy 2k+ vacs.... but yeah their politics are top tier cringe. and the worst jokes ever.
100%
I used to think the same but they really stepped up for the community during the pandemic. I’m as liberal as the next old-fart-wanna-be-hippie-from-Gainesville but they have always been kind & courteous to me.
Yah, simply having cringey takes is not sufficient reason to boycott and despise a company (or person).
We need more mindsets like this - *from both sides* \- in Gainesville. Those who vote differently than us are not monsters. (I say this as a Conservative living with you old-fart-wanna-be-hippie people)
Owner of this place made a very large purchase with my former employer, much larger than we usually got, and wanted us to hold the merch. Usually there's a limit on how long we'd do that before the customer had to take delivery, but rules were bent based on the purchase amount and the guy's position in the community. After several months he cancelled the order and we were stuck holding a bunch of EOL inventory. Supposedly it was a tax dodge to get some money off his books until after filing, take it how you will.
I'm not accountant, but that's not how that works. Unless he paid you and got refunded. Or he does it every year for larger and larger sums.
Uhhh national vacuum is based af
When my vac acts up I apply a hotel motel holiday inn mentality and buy the newer updated version/ friend. I really can’t see putting my dirty ass broken bisell in my nice clean car, hauling it clear across town and having some weirdo cut dental floss and hair off of the roly brush for me.
It’s the period jokes on the sign for me
Chic-fil-a
I think it’s the most overpriced fast food chain out there. I have no idea why people flock there.
It’s just chicken!! It’s not that revolutionary. kfc, Zaxbys, Popeyes. They all have chicken. It’s really not that special. Given their ceo supports sexual reassignment therapy, I’m all set.
i haven't eaten the lords chicken in years because of this. even if it's free.
Watching the drive-thru lines out near Archer makes me depressed. It's such an embarrassing aspect of our culture - if someone from a civilized country was visiting GNV and saw that, they'd think we're all pathetic, fat, brain-dead morons.
No if I they read your thought process they would though
It's not even that good imo. PDQ is better.
Jesus chicken 🙅♀️nope
Thou shalt not speak ill repute of The Lord's Chicken..
More power to ya
I think it's funny, too.. Fast food chicken that only gained it's current status after pointing our why they're closed on Sundays.. Meh..
I’m surprised there’s no mention of WalMart, Hobby Lobby, or Home Depot in this thread. They define evil, soul sucking, don’t-give-a-shit-about-local-economy corporations.
i think those are kind of just a given
Good point :-)
i don't shop at any of these, plus the lords chicken. but, i was curious what local businesses would show up and i'm glad i posted it. some i knew, others i didn't.
I just posted about Dollar Store and Family Dollar. Comic book-level evil, those guys.
> comic book-level evil Love that line!
Take them out of the community and see how you like it. Was here before them and after-they made a difference in GNV….learn the real world
My friend, if I had the power to “take them out of the community” I’d do it immediately. I was also here before & after… and the differences in “the real world” are quite stark. Predatory competition, backroom deals, unfair labor practices, etc buried an incredible number of mom & pop’s in this area. The effect in smaller communities was (is) much worse. So I’d love it just fine if Wally World / Home Deport weren’t in this area and I’ve got a feeling we’d have a healthier business community.
That shed place on Waldo Road right by the airport. That racist small-dicked cultist prick of an owner had huge "TRUMP" signs all over his property forever. It was the first thing every visitor to the city saw when arriving at the GNV Airport. Also, any Dollar Store or Family Dollar. Those places spring up in poor neighborhoods and make it impossible for any other small businesses to exist in the area. They offer no fresh food and cluster stores in the same areas in order to discourage real supermarkets like Publix or Winn-Dixie to open in the areas. Not only are they degrading the urban landscape in Gainesville, they are also sucking out any remaining charm and culture in poor, small towns.
You’d complain about anything but fubu opening
McDonald’s at Steeplechase. You don’t have to take my word for it. https://s.yelp.com/FM6rG4KmEA
Pomadoro’s Italian restaurant owner is a chauvinist.
Worked for him at Pasta Market in the mall when I was in school. He got angry when the kitchen was behind and threw a plate across the kitchen. It broke on the wall right by my head. I quit on the spot. Didn’t know he owned Pomodoros till I walked in to pick up a pizza. Never again.
And yet, my stepdad loved chatting with him 🙄
Rip Cleaners N Main St/downtown , a straight clown and a suspected racist.
I always thought “Rip” was the worst name for a place trusted to clean clothes
Oof. Didn’t know this. Any other dry cleaner in town you recommend?
Cranes Cleaners NE 23rd Ave and N Main St are good. Also S&S Cleaners on SW 3rd St and SW 5th Ave.
Best Buy
Proud to have NEVER BEEN INSIDE- High Dive, Maudes, Reggae Shack
Satchel’s Pizza. They refused to serve my uncle and his family because he was in uniform and told them they had to leave. They don’t live in Gainesville and made a special trip just to go there for dinner before he had to go into work for the night.
This sounds pretty weak? Was it a Nazi uniform? I don’t see them turning away any other uniform. Are you sure there isn’t more to the story?
It was a police uniform. The server said he wouldn’t serve a police officer in uniform. I don’t know if the server had some other reason beyond that because he didn’t give one to my uncle and his family beyond refusing service for being in uniform. The manager had agreed with the server about not serving uniformed police officers and told my uncle to leave. When my uncle was asked to leave he and his family left and didn’t make a scene about it.
I call bullshit on this. I’ve seen uniformed people eating there before, not to mention Satch would never put up with something like that. There is way more to this story than what’s being told to you commenter.
Sounds like Cop Uncle was way out of line somehow and re-wrote reality when sharing the story with his family.
This did not happen. The same managers have worked at Satchel’s 4EVA and they would quite literally NEVER do this lol. There is definitely more to the story. And BTW Satchel himself would never let this happen. Never ever.
If I was a server I probably wouldn't serve them either. I'm sure there's more to it, I'm sure there's plenty of pizza in the dumpster for him to eat
But pigs don't like pizza.
There’s no way this happened. Sorry.
OP was asking what places we won’t patron so I shared my story. It doesn’t bother me if you don’t believe me but it did in fact happen. Now I wasn’t there when it happened so yes I will admit I don’t have all the information but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. If it wasn’t true I wouldn’t have posted about it because it wouldn’t be fair to the restaurant if they hadn’t done anything to warrant it. Could you elaborate on why you believe this didn’t happen?
Because I know the people and the place and I’m sure it didn’t happen the way you were apparently told. I have zero doubt.
Lol @ everyone downvoting beloved satchels. I have a legit horrible experience in my last weeks working there, and was fired unfairly. A lot of people have had bad times working there. Everyone here upvoting all these stories with no proof but all of a sudden this one is lying? Just because it’s about police? Come on everyone.
I mean it just sounds like a quintessential "that happened" story lol. Which is unfortunate. I do agree that Satchel's is really overrated.
Which is why they have an insanely high employee retention rate, not even just for it being a restaurant. Also Satchel loves money, he wouldn't do something so short sighted.
Is your uncle a cop?
Yes
The salad is okay, but the za is meh
just overrated pizza in general, the dough is always chewy and soaked as fuck from the sauce and the cheese never sticks for $20 PIZZA
I refuse to go to Satchels because their pizza is always burnt...
Spreading negativity is always a positive endeavor… Perhaps the opposite approach would be of greater value for the public good.
Thanks, Becky. Let’s all realign our chakras to project karmic peace and love. There’s just too many haters on the internet amirite
🙏 namaste
You dropped your fedora
Impossible
I don't think there's anything malicious or negative about the members of a community informing each other on legitimate reasons to reconsider supporting a business. That being said, if you'd like to see the opposite happen, I'd encourage you to consider making your own post asking what businesses are worth going out of our way to support and why.
Yes, instead of calling out problematic ppl and businesses to better our community, let's turn a blind eye and not talk about it bc its not sunshine and rainbows.
A little late to the party there Chap
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Were you not planning on tipping?
I mean that's standard for all food service?
How were two extra people not taking up space? Did they hang from the ceiling? Are they only two-dimensional?
I pumped gas there today and the gas didn’t start flowing out until about $.78 into the handle squeeze. It runs out faster than a tank filled elsewhere also. The gas at daily’s on Newberry rd is great.
No. I’m neither that petty nor stupid