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The Fairfax Bar and Grill: Indiana bar begs customers to return after banning Bud Light controversy discussion

The Fairfax Bar and Grill officials blocked comments on social media posts after people bombarded the comment section

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA: The Fairfax Bar and Grill, which recently banned customers from discussing the recent Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney controversy, is begging customers to come back. In a deleted post on the bar's official Facebook page, the owner of the bar, McKinley Minniefield, wrote, “Thank you to all of you for supporting our establishment. With the departure of some of our regulars, we have needed new clientele, and you have answered. I’m not gonna lie, we still need more of you right now. Please continue to consider supporting us. It’s gonna be a great year of friendship, food, drinks and live music!”

The post came as Bud Light sales collapsed. Data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting show that Bud Light sales have fallen 17 percent in dollars and 21 percent in volume in the week that ended on April 15, states New York Post. In a previous Facebook post, the owner of the bar wrote, "A lot has been said - some correct, and some incorrect - and I want to clarify my stance. What I really want to convey is this: just be respectful. Different opinions are welcome here as long as they are delivered respectfully." And added, "We’d no more want ugly, aggressive or rude interactions about which sports team someone thinks is better, than about societal issues."

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Prior to that, in a Facebook post on April 11, 2023, which has also been deleted, the bar released a statement that read, “We are tired of all of the hate. We are very open to debate and discussion and it's truly a shame that we can't have open conversations about this important political and cultural topic. Bars, in our opinion, exist as public spaces where ideas should be exchanged. Unfortunately, due to all of the bigotry and hatred that has surfaced around the Bud Light controversy, any patron wanting to voice their concerns about the issue will be immediately asked to pay their bill and leave our establishment," states DailyMail.

Following this, bar officials blocked comments on posts after people bombarded the comment section with hate. One person wrote, "It'll probably be your last event," while another said, "All I want for Christmas is to see this place shut," states DailyMail. People even took it to Twitter to boycott the bar. One wrote, "Fairfax Bar and Grill will support free speech by banning free speech."

'Never dealt with anything recently that was so overtly hateful'

Talking about the whole scenario, Minniefield told Wish TV, "We were just dealing with a lot of hate speech, and people being uncomfortable. My bartenders were aggravated and we had customers that were leaving. More than 500 people commented on the post, some saying that Minniefield is being intolerant by not allowing different opinions. We’re a local dive bar in southern Indiana, there’s a lot of ideas that tossed around here, but I’ve never dealt with anything recently that was so overtly hateful."

'Make a choice, live with the consequences'

However, many continued to bash the bar. One wrote, "Beautiful ending. Culture is upstream of Politics. Politics is upstream of Business. Business is upstream of Customers. Sometimes it’s best to just serve the customer without all the upstream NOISE." Another commented, "Make a choice, live with the consequences." While one pointed out, "#BoycottFairfaxBarsndGrill. Kicked out patrons should NOT return. Owner/management are still anti-women, they’re just thinking about the $$$ they’re loosing. GOOD!" An agitated individual wrote, "Go Woke Go Broke I bet all this customers found better places to drink. Funny how loud they can be dictating, then when they lose money. Give a lame a** backhanded compliment thinking people are stupid enough to buy their bulls**t."

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