Fulton Ale House — Restaurant in New York

Today I decided to take a break and have a glass of beer at a local Bed Stuy establishment. I left highly offended when it was time for me to pay for my beer. I realized after I ordered the beer that it was a $10 minimum on debit cards. I told the bartender (white guy with a baseball hat husky possibly brown hair) that I will go next door after I finish my beer to withdraw the money for the bill, which was only $5. Before I decided to go next door, the bartender asked me to leave my phone with him in case I do not come back. I was highly offended, and I do not know if it was because of the color of my skin, that he did not believe that I will return to pay for a measly $5 beer. I Proceeded to tell him I will not under any circumstance leave my phone or anything of valuable nature just for a $5 beer. I have never been so embarrassed in my life and I truly believe that it was because I am black and his patrons do not normally look like me. I will never patronize this establishment and it makes me extremely sad and embarrassed along with many other feelings but this has happened to me in my own gentrified neighborhood. All of this for a $5 beer, I mean I work really hard and have a career!

In response to the owner: Unfortunately, regardless of your response to be, this does not alleviate the situation. Its truly ashame , again , as a owner you sat there and did not intervene. At the end of the day, I am a member of the community that was willing to spend my money at your business. This interaction was judgmental and could be presumed as racist. I will stand by my statement to say, if I looked like you or your bartender, I would not have been treated in this manner. Also, as a bartender I know if someone put something over their glass, it is an unspoken rule that the person is coming back. Your bartender took it upon himself to throw my drink away. In your response, it further proved that you and your bartender really thought I was not coming back to pay for my $5 dollar drink. At the end of the day, you lost me as a customer and more than likely future customers over you and your prejudice attitudes. I have no reason to ever skip out on a bill, especially one for $5. I have friends (non African American etc) that have been in this situation and have never been asked to leave a valuable item for a $5 dollar drink. I am pretty sure again, if I was a White professional man/woman and I ordered that $5 dollar drink, you would not have asked me to leave a valuable item. All I ask is for trust in your neighborhood and patrons that are "different". Again, this is my neighborhood, born and raised. I frequent many bars and restaurants. I come from a family that owned bars. I know what customer service is and most importantly I know what respect looks like. The way the situation happened yesterday, showed lack thereof. You should be ashamed to admit that you was the owner that sat through all of this. My voice will be heard and respected on all platforms as the power of communication...

It's a classic bar: beer, liquor, snacks, and sports. The couple who own Fulton Ale House are welcoming and friendly. There are several TVs with different games on them and we went there specifically to watch a Buffalo Sabres game. Transparency note: it is a Bills Backers bar, I'm guessing that the Sabres come in second on the priority list. Don't be discouraged, I was introduced to a man who plays "Fly Eagles Fly" at games, but when it's an away game, he asked the owners if he could play it at Fulton Ale House. The response was "Yes, if you'll play the Bills "Shout" song during Bills games. Both wishes were fulfilled, and he happened to be at Fulton Ale House to watch a 76ers game when I was there. I also met a Bruins fan, with whom I had a polite conversation. There was a Rangers game on another TV, and I got to watch some WNBA before the Sabres game started (WNBA is exciting B-ball) You can see international sports like soccer and pretty much whateve games that are available at the time you happen to be there, following the priority of Buffalo, NYC (I suspect Brooklyn first) and down the line. They have different event nights of the week, like Trivia nights, and Darts Night. There is a large tapped beer selection; I had well-poured Guiness and a Buffalo area favorite - Labatt Blue, which is a pilsner from Canada. No matter your tastes, you should find a few things that suit your palate. And they have a big choice of liquors to make your favorite cocktail, or to just enjoy it straight. If you're looking for a more intimate bar setting, with sports, and a homey environment, Fulton Ale House is the...

Blatant Racism and Discrimination at Fulton Ale House

I recently had an appalling experience at Fulton Ale House that reeked of blatant racism and discrimination against people of color.

Upon arriving before the Champions League game started, I was simply waiting for friends at the bar when the owner, a white woman, aggressively approached me and the gentleman of color sitting beside me. She rudely demanded that we immediately purchase drinks and not just "sit around", despite not making similar demands of the white patrons who had been sitting longer without drinks.

It was clear we were being singled out solely due to the color of our skin. This was an outright racist attack masked as a policy that was only being enforced against the minority customers present.

The discrimination continued even after my friends arrived and we had purchased four drinks. The bartender then began screaming at us that we couldn't watch the game for "free", again treating us completely differently than the white patrons.

The staff's hostile, aggressive, and demeaning behavior towards us as people of color was absolutely unacceptable and inexcusable. We were clearly profiled and discriminated against based on race from the moment we entered the establishment.

I would urge anyone who believes in equality and has zero tolerance for racism to avoid Fulton Ale House at all costs. Support businesses that treat all customers with dignity and respect regardless of skin color. Racist policies and behavior like this should not be...