Pat O's Bunkhouse Saloon — Restaurant in Phoenix

Fresh off a heartbreak (shoutout to Beau for the emotional whiplash), my fabulous friends drove up from Tucson to help me bounce back the best way we gays know how—bar hopping across Phoenix like it was a competitive sport. Kobalt? Iconic. Karamba? A blast. Stacy’s? Church. Charlie’s? Filthy and fabulous as always.

And then… there was Pat O’s Bunkhouse.

What started as a five-star night took a sharp left into one-star territory the second we walked in. Our bartender Jayme (with a “y,” because of course), greeted us with the warmth of a DMV at closing time. I’ve worked in the service industry. I get it. People have off nights, long shifts, and low tolerance for bachelorette parties. But we were polite. We were tipping. We were literally just trying to get a vodka soda and not get side-eyed into a coma.

Unfortunately, Jayme seemed personally offended by our existence. Each order was met with an eyeroll so powerful it could’ve shifted tectonic plates. It’s one thing to have bad service—it’s another to feel like you’re on a hidden camera show called How Fast Can We Kill a Vibe?

There are plenty of incredible gay bars in Phoenix that will treat you like the sparkling, semi-traumatized star you are. This isn’t one of them.

2/10. Only because the parking was easy....

Phoenix doesn't really have an official Bear bar but Pat O's Bunkhouse and Nutowne Saloon are as close as it gets. My favorite part about this bar is that it has live jazz music from queer men with a piano a saxophone a drummer and a bass with rotating singers . It starts at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays, every Sunday. Come enjoy some jazz! It's a very chill place. In general, they keep the volume of their music loud so you can enjoy the experience without blowing out your ears which is nice, but you could still dance if you want to. This place can get a little risque. But if you come anytime during the day it's just a very chill gay neighborhood bar. It has Wi-Fi and it is the perfect place to go and study or just have a quick beer during the day to relax maybe during a lunch hour. The crowd does tend to be a little bit older so there isn't as much young bears and cubs but it is still a good place to hang. Karaoke on Wednesdays is typically pretty fun. All weekend days are typically pretty busy in the evenings. They occasionally have drag shows, fundraisers and...

To the owner, I don't think your employees are always as professional and pleasant when you are not around. I saw examples of rudeness from three of your employees on a Saturday afternoon. Bars are a fickle business, sometimes a popular spot can seem to dry up for no identifiable reason. Your staff, including manager, could feel invincible while things are good. They could get careless with the customers. And, although your employees may have to deal with the occasional customer with attitude, a customer should never have to deal with your employee's bad attitude. Keep in mind employees don't have the investment in all the areas of your business's...