09/01/2026
Howdy all! Here's the latest New and (I hope) Improved Poster with the Autumn Dates for our Spoken Word Open Mic at The TRAMONTANE CAFE. Recently, there was some manner of dispute regarding our policies, followed by an online social media mini-hullaballoo type-thread concerning said dispute from the party of one who took issue. Typically, and with sound reasoning, I do not chime in on these charming, sophisticated social-media gauntlet-tosses. However, in this instance as it directly involves an event I host at a business where I endeavor to make a modest living, I am compelled to speak for my part in the apparent kerfuffle which hath been publically aired. I would have preferred to have an in-person conversation, or even a private message exchange where we could communicate in a friendly, civil manner, but I understand the urge to air grievances via megaphone on the internet mountaintop as it were; wherein one gets whatever perceived wrong that was done off of their front burner, and perhaps as a side benefit some manner of a dopamine rush is gained via accountability and shaming of the offending party. These are the times that we live in, I get it. To their point regarding that our promotional material for the event should have stated that in addition to the $3 entry fee there is also a minimum cafe purchase requirement; I agree. I have amended our promotional materials thusly, and I thank them for bringing it to our attention. As a counterpoint, based on how I conduct myself when going out to other business establishments, and how I do so is rooted in the traditions of the general social contract (see: common sense and basic courtesy); when I go to an event at a business establishment, I agree to pay the entry fee required if there is one, and apart from that will order product from the business, as that is how they pay their employees, overhead, utilities, insurance, maintenance and so forth. If for whatever reason I find myself short of funds, and trust me I understand what it is to be broke, or to have very little “quality life experience / fun-money”, then I end up deciding to pass. I've experienced this many times throughout my adult life up to this very day - that's life. Yes, it isn’t the best feeling. I know some places or events go for the "No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds" ethos, which I find admirable, but for myself I just wasn't steeped in that tradition so it's something that I personally am not comfortable with. So I'll sit something out and save a few bucks. Life goes on. If someone comes to our place and only has the $3 and NEEEEEDS the experience we provide, if that’s conveyed to us, we can make an exception to the minimum purchase requirement, at our discretion. Now, I wasn’t involved with how the interaction went down as I was busy hosting. If it was the case that the aggrieved party took gross offense to the minimum purchase requirement policy solely because it was not included on the promotion, seems to me the principled stance is flimsy at best as it involves a sum total of less than five dollars, which yes, we could have let slide and said well now you know for next time, no problem, come on in, but also it would be not illogical for us to say we take offense to your being offended; we have bills to pay, this is a business, please treat us with some respect, we don’t think we’re asking too much. Whatever the case was, it lead to the individual opting out and leaving with bad feelings. For that I am sorry. I will not however apologize for us trying to run a business and make a living. All of this subsequent online riggamarole back and forth from their posting about their experience comes off as attempts towards positioning for having the moral high-ground or winning an argument that in plain truth didn’t actually require an argument at all. A simple, unheated, calm discussion would have been easy and preferred. So, here’s my part of the discussion, which hopefully will elucidate the reason and rationale for our policy in regards to our Spoken Word Open Mic, which by the way need not be compared to how other individuals run their open mics; we do things how we do things, and there is nothing wrong with how we do what we do! For the first run of our spoken word open mic (2011-2018), it was a weekly event instead of the bi-weekly that we currently do. We did not charge a cover, which resulted in often times people being in the cafe who had no interest in the open mic proceedings, taking up seating for those who were interested in the event. Additionally, they would converse, sometimes rudely and loudly, while someone was on the mic, leading us to have to ask them to keep it down. Most times people were apologetic, but sometimes they were put-off or even angry. We also did not have a “minimum purchase requirement” policy, which some people took advantage of, utilizing our space while not supporting it, or even worse, bringing in their own beverages or snacks, which was infuriating and totally disrespectful to say the least. For those 7 years it was a constant struggle, every week. Cue our decision to shut our doors and tend to our mental health in June 2018. After a while, and much discussion, we decided we weren’t done and that we had more to accomplish, so we worked on bringing back the Tram in 2020, but Covid happened and we waited that unfortunate mess out. When we reopened in 2022 and brought back our spoken word open mic, we decided to make it bi-weekly, to charge a low cover of $3 to ensure that everyone who was in the space was invested in the event, and instituted a “LISTENING ROOM ENVIRONMENT” which meant no conversations while someone was on the mic. We also started, informally, a minimum purchase requirement to support the venue. We asked ourselves - won’t people say “you’re getting my $3, why do I HAVE to BUY SOMETHING? The answer we never really had to say out loud until now was that IT SUPPORTS THE BUSINESS. The $3 entry fee is “RENT” for your seat for an entertainment event that typically lasts 3 hours. That’s ONE DOLLAR AN HOUR to take a space in the room, to listen, to have a chance to go on the mic in a room where everyone is there to LISTEN. That is a good deal, I think. So, a minimum purchase policy is yes, annoying AF for us to implement, but most folks don’t need to be asked. And THIS has been working GREAT. To my knowledge, we have had NO PROBLEMS or issues with this policy for over FOUR YEARS. So, you’re asking, where does that $3 go? I mean, that stuff adds up, right? The Entry fee goes into a general fund that helps pay performers who play gigs here when there is no cover or when the cover charge doesn’t match the guarantee, it also goes to promotional expenses, it helped pay for a new sound-board when our old one died, new mics, new mic cords when the old ones get trashed by misuse, and often times it goes to local artists or for fundraisers, giving back to the community. We’re not lining our pockets or buying lottery tickets with our patrons entry fees. It all goes back into operations or back to the community: PERIOD. I hope this information was helpful. I would still like to have an in-person conversation if the offended party is interested. I will understand, to some degree, if you still don’t agree with our policy and procedures, but would be curious as to why. Thanks for reading! Please keep all comments friendly-like. Much love - Garrito Burrito
