Part 1) Holy hell. Some nerve Gus and his staff has. He's the owner. Let's get things squared away, firstly, I've been a patron here for 20+ years. I literally live within spitting distance from the place so I have made this tavern a sanctuary in my life where I used to go to escape my reality. I haven't EVER had ANY kind of an issue here BEFORE tonight. My daughter and myself stopped in for a bite to eat, we sat in who was an acquaintance's section and since I had loaned this girl money the week prior, I made it known that I didn't have any money, and could she take it out of what she owes me to cover the bill, she said she'd give me the money she owes and then I could just pay when I'm done. My daughter and I order, she brings us our food, my daughter takes a couple bites of her cheeseburger and for WHATEVER reason, my daughter disapproves it and doesn't touch it the entire meal, I told this girl that she just doesn't like it and can she get mozzarella sticks instead? She takes the cheeseburger away immediately disposing it and replaced it with the mozzarella sticks 15 minutes later. Now I'm getting anxious to leave because it's about 20 minutes until 10PM and I had to make it to the Walgreens before 10 so I could take the money that she owed me, put it on my debit card so I could pay for my daughter to have lunch at school the following week. I go up to the register and ask for the check...signaling that and she tells me to go wait outside, so I got in my vehicle and parked closer to the door waiting for her to come out and bring me my "change" since she was supposed to be covering the bill. TELL ME WHY Gus comes outside and is just standing there holding the door open STARING at my daughter and me angrily. Then, the acquaintance who was supposed to be covering the tab, you see...her mother works there too...she comes outside and is demanding to know what I'm doing walking out without paying and I am in literal SHOCK at this point, I told her that I gave her daughter money and she tells me that her daughter says I didn't. Okay, awesome...I see a problem brewing right before my eyes. She comes outside then and she's giving me a look and telling me that I just need to go home and get the money to pay for it. I am shaking at this point. I said sure, I'll go get money from home, mind you it's not far at all, literally like a 30 second car drive. Gus then approaches me saying that I need to leave him my driver's license and her mother is then telling him to write down my plates too. I oblige, utterly embarrassed and disgusted. I drive home in tears and pure awe at the nerve and audacity this degenerate b!t#h. has acting like I walked out without paying when she said she was going to pay me first so I could pay!! I get home and I now have to bother my sick, sleeping mother to wake up and find me $32 to pay for the food my daughter and I just ate because this "see you next Tuesday" just screwed me and is making me look like the bad guy!! I'm turning off my block and waiting for a car to pass and would you look at that...I'm now following the Glenview police to Meiers!! He slowed down and had his turn signal on to pull into the parking lot, but must've realized the description of my vehicle that was behind him was identical to the one reported and instead of turning in, he continued to drive. Now I'm in the parking lot doing the math and come to realize wtf, how did some mozzarella sticks and a Reuben cost me $32?? I realized I was still being charged for the cheeseburger that 1) my daughter barely touched and #2) was immediately taken away and discarded. I reluctantly walk back into the tavern with cash in hand ($29 to be precise, because that's all the money my sickly mother and I had combined) and I approach Gus who's standing at the register and he rings up my check and tells me that I owe $32, I wasn't starting an argument, but apparently he was prepared on making one, when I asked him why I was still being charged for the cheeseburger if my daughter didn't like it and didn't eat it. He raised his voice at me and in the most condescending and demeaning tone he tells me that I don't get to negotiate the price of what he says the bill is and proceeds to argue that there was nothing wrong with the burger and my daughter could have eaten it but she just chose not to, I'm so utterly upset and paralyzed in the audacity he has telling me this that I forget to mention that I'm now paying for something we didn't even get to keep. I forget to mention that had I KNOWN that I was going to be charged for the freezer burnt to griddle cheeseburger that I wouldn't have even BOTHERED ordering the mozzarella sticks. I am now just stressed at the fact that I don't have $32 and I have $29 that I explain to him that is all I have and this man takes the money OUT of my hands and starts going on about how hard SHE is working for TIPS and now SHE doesn't get one because I didn't even have enough money to cover the tab. read more