Tres Agaves Responds to Last Night's Fracas

Earlier today, the Eater Investigative Staff reported on last night's chaotic scene at Tres Agaves that saw a semblance of a picket line form outside the SoMa restaurant. A few hours after the post went up, co-owner Eric Rubin dropped us a line regarding both the service situation and the evening's, um, boisterous happenings. His words, in their entirety, follow.

To Whom It May Concern:

As many people know, loud protesters caused a regrettable scene outside of Tres Agaves last night. First of all, we want to apologize to the guests of Tres Agaves whose experience was disrupted by aggressive protesters. More than anything else, we want our guests to have a good time; delicious food, drinks, and a comfortable and fun environment are all a part of that. Secondly, our hearts go out to the Tres Agaves staff who suffered from the inappropriate behavior of several former employees and their friends.

Everyone at Tres Agaves works hard, and whether it's a staff meal or drinks at the end of the night, or the company sponsored Tequila tasting trip to Mexico that several employees are enjoying right now, we are committed to making sure that our family is having fun too. Restaurant work is some of the most labor-intensive, and while anyone who has worked in the industry knows that a break in the middle of a rush hour is often impossible, we try to compensate for the realities of the business with generous meals and a policy of treating employees to post-shift drinks. Joseph and the entire management team are hard at work every day and night, and we know firsthand how tough this business is. The bottom line is that we're in it together, we make every effort to be fair, and we're equally concerned with keeping things fun.

Open and productive communication is essential to any business, so we make a point of being available to sit down and talk with our staff about any and all of their concerns. Unfortunately, the megaphones, loud bells, and aggressive tactics of these handful of angry individuals not only hurt the customers and hard-working staff, but they are an unproductive means of addressing concerns. Customers get caught in the cross-fire, and the complaints, whatever they may be, get lost in the hostile and often illegal methods of expression.

While several of us are in Mexico treating staff to an educational trip (learning how tequila is made is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it!) we are happy to speak at greater length on the issue, and sincerely hope that everyone takes full advantage of our policy of open, friendly, and professional communication. Next time you are in the restaurant, we encourage you to ask your server what it's like to work at Tres Agaves. There's no better source of information than the person who is there every day, pouring your tequila and collapsing with the crew after we've made it through another busy night.

Salud!
Eric Rubin