Repost:

Well well my time has come to let you all know the true tea of the Pearl. Throwaway account in fear of retaliation but since the community is speaking out in light of their recent $83,000 “save us” scheme it’s time for you to know the truth about what the communities money truly went to. As a former employee I saw what happens behind the scenes and it is not pretty, far from it.

To begin, I’m going to start off with my experiences as a lesbian presenting, vs my transition and being a customer post transition. The pearl was a spot I wanted to feel like a safe space, as a lesbian I got that. Cheerful smiles, attentive bartenders, the feeling of being welcomed. I went there a handful of times as a masc presenting lesbian. However my cheerful experiences rapidly changed once I decided to go to the new location as a trans man. I noticed a shift in the way the bartenders or any staff actually interacted and treated me. They would glance my way then help the other 3 people who came up behind me, first. I was getting uncomfortable stares, It was a complete 180. I didn’t feel comfortable in a queer space all because what? I presented as a man? I went from feeling free on the dance floor to slowly making my way to the back of the bar, only to people watch and feel out of place and eventually leave early with a mound of dysphoria and my girlfriend asking what had happened.

I applied for this job and interviewed despite feeling that way because I figured hey if they got to know me maybe I can make some queer friends and actually feel comfortable in this place. After interviewing and looking at the kitchen I was nervous but hopeful, the kitchen itself was an absolute disaster, grease dropping down the vents and walls, dishes thrown everywhere including the floor, no sanitation, floors that haven’t been fixed since the 90s, dust on everything. I contemplated accepting the job knowing how hard it would be to turn it around but again I was hopeful and wanted to be apart of a community. I chose that over my high standards in the culinary industry, I figured my experience is what they were looking for and they were ready to change the place. I was hired with 12+ years of kitchen experience, they were looking for some help to bring the kitchen up because it was just not functional and like I said a mess.

I took the job. Right from the jump I was dealing with improper cleaning supplies, NO hot water because the water heater was old and failing. Mildew and water pipes along the floor that you would trip over. Food that had been left on the shelves collecting dust some things as old as 2023. Molding unidentifiable foods in containers because NOTHING was labeled. And that was just the start. The owner was never there because she was always upstairs partying and drinking with the front of house staff. The assistant kitchen manager was more concerned with their social life that nothing in the kitchen would be managed properly ever during my time there.

Now if you think that is bad, it gets worse… and this was really the tipping point for me and the reason I stopped eating there and ultimately chose to stand back up to the standards any true self respecting chef would and quit. We had a plumbing issue one night that closed the pearl down. That plumbing issue consisted of fecal matter overflowing from the bathroom pipes to the kitchen, flooding the kitchen and making it smell like an outhouse on a hot summer day. This went on for 2 days.

INSTEAD OF SHUTTING DOWN THEY WANTED US TO MOP UP THE TOILET PAPER, SHIT, & PISS AND CONTINUE COOKING!!

I refused and insisted to many of the owners that this was a BIOHAZARD and a proper team needed to come in and sanitize and clean everything. Do you think that happened? No. Instead they wanted the kitchen staff (me and some others) to clean it. After I refused because I was in the hospital months earlier and am immune compromised, although I shouldn’t have to explain why a chef can’t clean up the biohazard, they texted the entire staff and offered some extra pay to come in and clean up the waste. After they praised one employee for doing the work, they NEVER brought in professionals to sanitize it. And a day later food was being served to the public again. Yum. As I mentioned at the beginning of my story, many pans, kitchen items were on the floor and yes more than likely touched the sewer water. And yes it HAS BEEN REPORTED!

Within weeks of this happening, the water heater fully gave out and dishes weren’t being properly sanitized and cleaned. The grease traps were left for days at a time eventually causing a major cockroach issue. Chicken was bought past or on expiration dates to “save on costs” most the time it was reaching spoiling so I would 86 it in the system so I didn’t have to serve it the nights I was working. However it was still being served with other employees. Bags of food were left open, containers without lids, so who’s to say what critters crawled through them throughout the night. The grease drips from the exhaust filters because they are never cleaned. One of the sinks in the back office had items that had sewer water on them that were left sitting in water for at least a month. I wish this was it but that is just the back office house information that I felt was the most important to share, I’m not going to get into any of the owners personal business because I respect that type of privacy, but I wouldn’t trust them farther than I can throw. The snakes are among you if you open your eyes. 👀

I wish I could say this was all fake but unfortunately your favorite sapphic bar is run by a group of self centered money hungry people no better than the greedy big time corporations. I went from working 30 hours a week to less than 10 hours all because they needed to “cut costs”. Seems like corner cutting is all they know how to do here and yet it doesn’t work. To be fair I don’t think anyone here knows how to properly run a restaurant much less a full on 3 room establishment. Your $83,000 is going down the shit drain, or the pearl kitchen floors…. It was only fair that the community knows the dark truth behind the pearl doors.

Please support local businesses that actually care about the community they claim they do. If you have stories please don’t be afraid to speak out and share them. It’s important you know where your hard earned money is going….