In 2014, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello performed a solo show in Seattle and was joined on stage by his former Audioslave bandmate, Chris Cornell. Audioslave had broken up in 2007, but Cornell and Morello had shared the stage several times since.
Seattle’s 5 Point Cafe
Following the performance, the guitarist and some of his friends wanted to go to a place in Seattle called The 5 Point Cafe. Morello and his posse were turned away by the cafe’s doorman, citing capacity issues.
Imagine that you’re a business owner and you have one irate customer who has a huge following on social media and they go online and try to slam your business. That’s exactly what Morello did.
“5 Point restaurant in Seattle is the worst.” – Tom Morello
Tom Morello took to his Twitter account and posted, “5 Point restaurant in Seattle is the worst. Super rude and anti-worker. Shittiest doorman in the Northwest. Spread the word.”
He would follow that message with another tweet, “Willing to forgive the Seattle evil empire, 5 Point Cafe doorman power trip, if good guy owner Dean Meinheart fully embraces #$15NowMinimumWage.”
It’s important to note that Morello’s solo show that night was in support of a grassroots campaign to support the $15 minimum wage in Seattle.
“Act like a prick, equals get treated like a prick.” – 5 Point Cafe Owner
The 5 Point Cafe owner would respond to Morello’s tweets through Facebook by generously laying out his political beliefs while slamming Morello again and again. “For the record, Tom Morello, the 5 Point Cafe is totally pro-worker. We try to pay more than any other small restaurant and on top of that, higher pay, we offer health insurance, paid sick days, paid time off, retirement and profit sharing. Sorry if you had an issue with our staff, but typically our staff is awesome and when they are not, it’s usually a reflection of the customer. Act like a prick, equals get treated like a prick.”
“Rockstars don’t get special treatment at the 5 Point. We could give less of a shit, sorry.” – 5 Point Cafe Owner
The business owner would go on to write, “I have to say, you are attacking a small business without knowing anything about it or addressing your problem with them directly before you go on a public rant pretty much sucks. Just lost a ton of respect for you and I’ve been a fan for years, both of your work in Rage and your work for worker’s rights since. PS: rockstars don’t get special treatment at the 5 Point. We could give less of a shit, sorry.”
The letter would go on to say how the owner has been a big proponent of the $15 minimum wage and a national retirement plan for people who work for small businesses. It would also go on to explain how the doorman knew who Morello was, and how they’ve told bigger rockstars to eff off.
The Doorman Goes Public
The doorman would go public with his own version of events telling thestranger.com that Morello didn’t appear drunk or under the influence or really come off as much of a jerk, “Other he wouldn’t take no for an answer, one of the first things out of his mouth was, ‘Does the owner like Rage Against the Machine?’ I said, ‘Probably, but we’re full right now.’ Normally, I try to be witty with my answers but the whole party kept trying to get in.”
After being refused entry, the doorman would claim, “At that point, where he said, ‘We’re going to IHOP’ I said, ‘Great! IHOP’s up the street. They’re a lot bigger than we are. Have a good time.’ He said, ‘I’m going to tweet you.’ And I told him my name is Roach, R-O-A-C-H, if you’re going to tweet about me.”
“Next time we’ll call ahead if we want to eat at the 5 Point Cafe.” – Tom Morello
Morello would in fact tweet to the owner trying to extend an olive branch, saying, “Next time we’ll call ahead if we want to eat at the 5 Point Cafe.”
Following the drama at the restaurant, Morello’s party would, in fact, head to IHOP, tweeting, “The trusty, attitude-free IHOP where we enjoyed a drama-free stack of hotcakes.”
“Next time, don’t call.” – 5 Point Cafe Owner
Things didn’t end there as the owner of the 5 Point Cafe responded once again, “Next time, don’t call. IHOP is glad to take your money and donate it to the right wing politicians so keep going there and supporting the very thing you claim to rage against, pathetic.”
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