Cafe’s reply to my review - is it any wonder places are struggling?

Someone I know was hit by a car - I can’t get angry at every picture I see of a racing car…

Would you complain if you saw a sign saying ‘You don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps!’ Because it’s offensive to those suffering from mental health problems?

Would complain if you saw a sign in a pub that said ‘Dogs welcome but children to be kept on leads’ in case it offends any patrons who were abused as children?

OP you are being utterly utterly ridiculous.

A cafe I go to has a picture of blue tits on the wall and says ‘nice tits’. My children titter at it when we go there as it’s a bit of fun. I feel truly sorry for the owners for having to deal with reviews like this. Offensive to alcoholics! Jesus, have a day off.

You voiced your views OP, but expect the owner not to voice theirs?

Some cafes are wine bars in the evenings, and even if not, if you don't like a place you don't go back.

You gave feedback that wasn't welcome, you move on.

Doubt the sign or her reply to you is why the sector is on its knees.

So because some people are alcoholics the rest of society has to stifle their humour?

I agree. OP, I'm clearly in the minority but I agree with you.

Your being utterly ridiculous tbh
everyone is looking for reasons to be offended these days
good grief

So because you don't have an issue with the sign, despite your father in laws death to alcoholism, the sign is absolutely fine and those of us who also have lost relatives or friends to alcoholism need to get a grip? Ok, who made YOU the boss of how we all should feel?

OP could also have "taken it on the chin and not got offended.

Works both ways.

I think it’s pretty widely recognised internationally that a lot of Brits have a messed up attitude towards drinking and how ‘hilarious’ it is to get shitfaced. And I totally understand how you feel given your personal situation. But IMO yes you were BU to make an issue of it in a review, because those attitudes are so incredibly widespread beyond a single cafe. Singling out a small business isn’t the way to do it. If this is something you really feel strongly about, have a google and see if there’s a relevant charity that works with people affected by alcoholism, or lobbies the government for different laws around the sale of alcohol, or lobbies the media for a different representation of what it means to get drunk a lot, or whatever feels meaningful to you.

YANBU

The sign isn't funny, I'd roll my eyes at it depending on what mood I was in, I'd never laugh at it, so clearly don't share their humour.

Unusual sign to have in a café. I always find it a bit sad when grown adults think getting drunk is great. Get a bloody life! These people relying on alcohol to have a good time 🙄

When you've lost a relative to liver failure, you really don't see the funny side to the big drinking culture.

Sometimes it totally is!

It strikes me as the kind of sign that’s now outdated and hasn’t moved with the times. Maybe it was funny or quirky back in the ‘90s. We’re so far beyond that now. I don’t know if I’d have gone so far as to complain about it, but I understand why you did. In an age where it’s all pronouns this and kids identifying as cats that, jokes about alcoholism should have been long gone!

It's a weird sign.
Your review was a positive one with one mild observation about the sign.
The owner's response is as odd as the sign itself.
I'm totally with you on this one.

We lost my father in law to alcoholism. The sign is absolutely fine and the OP needs to get a grip.

I'd say that's more something for women to complain about-the stereotype of the nagging fishwife type who doesn't 'let' their grown man husband do anything!
Not that I think either gender shoudl complain about something lighthearted and obviously a joke for people with enough brain cells to know it isn't serious.

My local pub has 'Nobody gets out sober' on it.

Kindly, OP one individual's issue isn't everyone else's problem. Including the owners of the cafe.

As an example I have PTSD related to an incident that happened while at an event for a VERY popular sport. I am getting better but for a long time I couldn't even see the name of the sport written down, hear a noise from it, watch anything to do with it, hear anyone talk about it without having a reaction.

Once a newish group of friends learned this they were all incredibly apologetic about having talked about it, worn clothing related to it etc and my response was to tell them to not be silly, it was okay-my trauma was nobody else's problem but my own. Yes, It's not my fault-but it damn well isn't anybody else's either!

The punters of this cafe nor its owners are not responsible for someone else's addiction.What next, I am not to eat a bar of chocolate in front of someone who happens to have a sugar addiction? I can't mention my own experiences in case I upset someone else?

The world needs to reign in on this sort of thing IMHO.

The fact they have to reply to such non issues in their reviews is a bigger reason why they're struggling

Don't forget there's a swathe of people who will read the reply and think that the business is being silly replying and then wonder if reviews have been deleted because of a snarky reply embarrassing the reviewer.

People judge places that respond to reviews. Not all of them are 'genius' or the 'perfect response' like the ones that sometimes make the news or memes. Some of them reflect really poorly on the business and make people cringe. And avoid the place.

So I wouldn't worry too much.

I don't think alcoholism is funny. The sign is daft and meant to be amusing, I'm sure. But if someone points it out as distasteful, you need to take that on the chin, not get offended and reply to a review about it, after all it was only meant to be a bit of fun, right?

No, there isn’t. But no one ever became an alcoholic because of a sign in a cafe.

OP I think you need to lighten up a bit.

Oh dear...you have too much time on your hands.
You really don't need to go through life being so offended.

My dad has had lifetime alcohol issues. It wouldn’t occur to me to take it upon myself to complain just because of him!

My local pub has a sign on the wall saying 'If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your wife told you to do it', can the men object? Has having a sense of humour really died out over the last years where everything is forensically examined to shoehorn in something to which people can object?

Drinking to excess is not funny.

You clearly get more hours in the day than me OP.

You must have been really struggling to find a way to criticise the cafe if this is the best you could come up with.

No wonder small business owners give up.

So do I

There's nothing amusing about alcoholism.