The Bitchy Betty Report

It's really not often that I feel the need to bad-blog. But today I'm feeling the need.

1. Last weekend some friends and I went to Virgo and Pisces in NW Portland. A place I have been before and actually quite liked. I ordered something off the happy hour menu with a Diet Coke. "I'm sorry," the waiter said, "You have to order something with liquor in it." Um, no I don't. Thanks for playing. I told him he could charge me for an alcoholic drink, charge me twice as much for my coke, whatever. I am not going to start drinking, just for some cheap food.

"You see, it's the economy. We lose a lot of money during happy hour and I think a lot of people come in here and say they don't drink, but really they just don't want to pay for a drink." Was he actually calling me a liar? I told him that I understood, but that I was not going to order alcohol. Finally he said he could charge me for a refill on the Coke I was already drinking. Fine. As I told him before, I didn't care what he charged me for a drink.

The problem is that they have totally different food on their regular menu from their happy hour menu. I didn't want to order some big entree, I wanted a couple of appetizers that were only on the happy hour menu. I would have paid full price for appetizers, if they had any appetizers on their menu. But they didn't. Also, on a Friday night, after a long week at work where I also deal with the bad economy, the last thing I want a waiter to spew at me is the restaurant's financial trouble. Sorry, join the crowd. Everybody's suffering right now and if you can't afford happy hour, then don't offer it. We're all making sacrifices right now.

2. I met my dad at Bridgeport Village this afternoon to see Gran Torino. We went to the 4:45 showing. As I handed the ticket guy a 10 dollar bill for my ticket, he said, "It's actually $10.50." No, I said, we're going to the 4:45 show. "Right. Our matinee prices end at 4 on the weekends." Are you kidding me? This theater is the only place that has to have a marquee sign in the ticket booth to show all the exceptions to their prices. Oh, and matinee prices also end early on holidays. Bastards. I did not feel guilty in the least for bringing a bottle of soda in my purse.