LAWRENCE, Kan.- At 2 a.m., when the bars close on Massachusetts Street, the work is just beginning for the employees of The Pita Pit on Massachusetts Street as they prepare for a huge rush of drunk customers.
Nick Maciag, a The Pita Pit employee, says that on the big bar nights, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, “It does get crazy because you are dealing with impatient, intoxicated people.”
When dealing with these customers Jon Peach, a The Pita Pit employee, says, “You have to have a thick skin. It’s almost like bartending. You just have to try to get them through the line as fast as you can. In the morning most of them won’t even remember they were here the night before.”
The Pita Pit has not had to call the police on any customers but according to Jon Peach this is not because there aren’t any problems. He says that though there are never any fights, customers do try to steal things like pita bags, but the restaurant chooses to deal with these incidences itself.
There is no formal training at The Pita Pit when it comes to dealing with unruly drunks. It is left up to the employees, but there is a general understanding that when dealing with this crowd sternness is the best approach. Maciag says, “We do not curse at the customers or any thing like that, but sometimes you have to tell them what’s up and put them in their place.”