The Coug — Restaurant in Pullman

So, I probably will not go back here. The drinks are really good, the food is really good, but the service kind of sucks. The last time I was there, I had 2 drinks, and because of how my body processes alcohol, I had to use the restroom. I am a cispassing transman meaning I can't exactly stand to pee. I also will get the police called on me if I go into any womens room because I look like a man, I sound like a man, and I have a full beard. I went to use the restroom and I had squated over the toilet as there is no seat. I did my business and as I was pulling my pants up, one of the servers walked in, stared at me and then turned around and walked out. I was done drinking as I wanted to be sober enough to walk my friends home, but one of them convinced me to get another. I went to get another drink but was told I was cut off. Weird as I was still pretty much sober, but okay. I got a cup of water and went outside back to my friends. One of them along with a complete stranger, a previous bartender there, was very confused as I was clearly still pretty much sober. One of them went in to talk to the bartenders and they were told that the server who walked into the bathroom and stared at me for a solid 30 seconds, watched me vomit the entire time I was in the bathroom. Seriously, come on, who is throwing up into a toilet that they are squatting over and quite clearly wiping themselves when their head is nowhere near the bowl? If things change to where employees use common sense I would love to come back, I love the Coug, but out of my safety, and you know, ability to enjoy myself with friends, I won't be coming back...

★☆☆☆☆ (1/5 stars)

I have never felt more disrespected, unsafe, and enraged in my entire life than I did at The Coug. Let me make this crystal clear: this is not a place to trust anyone with your drink, your belongings, or your dignity.

What Happened: I ordered a drink, trusted it like any normal human would, and someone literally put something in it without my consent. Yes, you read that right—someone tampered with my drink. If that isn’t horrifying enough, my personal items, including my backpack, were thrown away without warning. This is outrageous, unsafe, and completely unacceptable.

Staff & Management: The staff treated me like I was the problem for noticing it. No apology, no accountability, just blank stares and excuses. The manager? Silent. No explanation, no resolution—just letting their employees ruin my day and potentially put me in danger.

Ambiance: I honestly don’t even want to talk about ambiance because safety is priority zero here. If a place lets staff interfere with your food, drink, and personal items, everything else is irrelevant. Do you want to feel unsafe while trying to enjoy a coffee or snack? Because that’s what happens here.

Recommendation: Avoid The Coug at all costs. Trust is broken. Safety is gone. Respect for customers is nonexistent. If you value your drinks, your belongings, or your sanity, go anywhere else. This is a place where you’re literally not safe.

Rating: 0/5 stars if I could. 1/5 is...

I want to believe in this community and the values it says it stands for. The Cougs pride themselves on unity, integrity, and care — but those words must be backed by actions. Right now, the reality falls short.

I was trespassed unfairly, not because I was violent or a threat, but because I am different — and instead of addressing issues with fairness, staff chose gaslighting, isolation, and exclusion. If I had been causing physical harm, then a trespass might make sense. But when the issue boils down to people being flakes, spreading rumors, or acting unprofessionally, there is no justification for stripping away my right to belong.

I am directly asking the Cougs’ leadership to take accountability for this decision and undo the trespass. The way it was handled violated not only the spirit of community but also basic principles of due process, equal treatment, and student rights. Every student deserves to be treated with respect, not arbitrarily isolated or punished for being different.

Continuing to ignore this only deepens the harm and exposes leadership to questions of discrimination, negligence, and abuse of authority. The right and ethical step is to reverse the trespass, acknowledge the harm it caused, and commit to a culture where accountability is practiced, not avoided.

The Cougs can still be a community worth being proud of — but only if its leaders are willing to act like real adults, take responsibility, and...