Open Letter to the People Room Hater

A few days ago, I read a Facebook post from Ashley Christensen (AC). It was about the message you sent to inform her that you and your friends will be boycotting her restaurant for having signage for a “People Room” rather than defined genders displayed on the single occupancy restroom doors.

You expressed your desire for “the way things were before” and your concern for AC’s display of “nonsense” by renaming the room that houses a toilet in her very successful, highly populated and award-winning establishment(s).

Alas, People Room Hater do not fret, that night I took your seat at the table. For I do not care what they call the crapper and neither did the other 100 people who jammed themselves into Poole’s Downtown Diner, Tuesday night…or any other night, at any of AC’s restaurants for that matter.

AC chose to respond to your feedback, though she did not have to. She decided to reinforce her desire to support a sense of community and to push us forward as PEOPLE without regard to how individuals choose to identify themselves or their gender.

In an effort to support everyone’s right to an opinion and because I do not want you to feel excluded from our community, I wanted to tell you about my dinner and what you will be missing out on if you choose not to come back.

We dined on fresh seafood paired expertly with grains and vegetables that were seasoned to perfection. I chose the seared scallops with farro and charred cauliflower. It was topped with a caper-artichoke relish that balanced the butter that they seared the scallops in and brought back a little bit of the briny flavor that you would expect from food harvested from the sea. My date enjoyed the pan-seared halibut with rice grits, brussels sprouts and topped with a delightfully spicy Remesco sauce. We added on a side of rich and delectable macaroni au gratin because we had heard it is “slap yo momma good” and we finished with an amazing Videri dark chocolate chess pie tart with malted soft cream and chocolate cookie crumbs.

As I placed every buttery and flavorful bite of perfectly cooked scallop into my mouth that night, I was confounded as to why in hell someone would care about the sign on the bathroom door when there are so many other things here to enjoy.

I haven’t eaten at Poole’s in years. I had all but forgotten about the retro rounded bars and light fixtures, and the stamped tin ceiling tiles. The chalkboards displaying libations and the sign behind the bar that reads “If you do not use profanity, you will not offend anyone.” It is funny to think back to a time when they called this place Vertigo Diner and they served stale popcorn to patrons, to now- under AC’s ownership the Poole’s namesake returned and there is a James Beard award displayed on the front wall.

I mean, sure, there were a few things that I did not love about my visit. The restaurant is quite loud and throughout our visit there were waiting guests standing next to our table while enjoying drinks and lively conversation. The prices are a little higher than I would typically pay for a Tuesday night dinner, though common for good seafood, and I felt uncomfortable standing on top of other patrons while trying to read the chalkboard menus that were not visible from my table on the entry wall. All those slight annoyances fell away once I had a few sips of my cocktail and bite of food…never once did I think of who was sitting on the pot behind me.

Maybe the restroom being called the “People Room” is a misnomer after all though. Maybe it should be called the “Private People Room” because the people room - is actually the dining room. Young couples, professionals of all ages, families and the hip and diverse staff all mingled together enjoying the food and atmosphere. No one seemed concerned about what the other patrons have between their legs, except for maybe the couple on a date at the bar. No one was outwardly bothered by bumping shoulders with the other people in the room. No one declined to relieve themselves in the restroom marked with a prominent “P” on the door because it did not specify the inclusion of Male and/or Female genitalia.

I do however want to thank you whoever you are, since you and your friends, as I am sure you have many, will not be at Poole’s in the future, I will not have to worry about waiting in line after having a few Margabeetas to use the [Private] People Room.