Editor,

Dear Connect readers and all Savannah citizens concerned with forming a fair opinion of the "Wild Wing Cafe Situation":

I, Shannon Lowry, am a 15 year veteran in the bar business...As much as I hate the term, or what it implies, I am a "career bartender." I have been serving alcohol for 15 years, from coast to coast, and have never been convicted of any violation or misconduct whatsoever.

These proceedings are making a mockery of what I do, what I have done well, dilligently, and professionally for the better part of my life.

There is not a single person working at Wild Wing today that has committed any violation of proper procedure, yet we have all been made to live in an environment of fear, for out jobs, for the security of our families...in an economy that will not be kind if we are left unemployed.

No one there has done anything wrong, but still, our city council has proclaimed a vindictive vendetta against this eastablishment and is hell bent on finding any and every violation of a nearly impossible set of rules and standards with which they want to shut this business down...

This is all so uncomprehensible to me. There are approximately 125 employees currently working there, and not to beat a dead horse, but, NONE OF US HAS VIOLATED ANY LAWS OR DONE ANYTHING WRONG.

It is a fact, undeniable, that 3 times in the last 2 years, 3 individuals working at this establishment have mistakenly served underage; however, in all instances, the individuals responsible have been terminated immediately.

With a staff of this size, and a business that does the volume that this one does, it is next to impossible to prevent the occasional slip up, but the immediacy with which each and every violation has been dealt cannot be ignored.

I do not disagree with there being repercussions for said infractions, but the vehemence and seemingly personal anger that this situation has been dealt with leaves me befuddled. I have lived many places and dealt with local governments regarding liquor sales and the bar business in general, and I have never seen such an apparent personal crusade taken against a business.

Wild Wing Cafe caters to many city events, a diverse clientele of family and community groups, and I can say with 100 percent certainty that we make every effort to do so within the boundaries of the law.

I've stated the size of the staff, but I haven't touched on the people this affects in any kind of detail.
Many who I work with support families on their wages. Many have made a career of this.They have mouths to feed and mortgages to pay.

They are people that will help you out in a bind and work really hard for everything they have. Does city council think about US in these efforts to shut this business down?

I just hope that people realize that this is a strange and vindictive attack going on that involves a whole lot of REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL FAMILIES AND REAL LIVES to support, and I hope if anyone is in question about their stance on this issue, that they will make an effort to see the city council hearing so that they can see the harsh and seemingly personal way that this has been dealt with, and for God's sake please don't forget the many lives and families affected by this "scandal".

Shannon Lowry

Bartender, Wild Wing Cafe