Say It Ain't So! Dogs No Longer Allowed At The Gate.

As you may have heard by now, and as Park Slope Stoop reported on Monday, one of our favorite neigborhood bars, The Gate, will  no longer allow patrons to bring their doggies. We asked owner and friend of FIPS, Bobby Gagnon, to give us the scoop: 

So, an anonymous 311 caller reported us to the DOH. The inspector arrived, informing my bartender the call was hours earlier. This is the first I have ever heard of the DOH responding to a complaint same day, especially a non-critical health issue! I have spoken to a couple of insiders who maintain this must have been repeat calls and they finally came out, but that is conjecture. Obviously, the 311 system for businesses can potentially be problematic and outright detrimental if beset with someone with an axe to grind or merely a penchant to harass.  

The inspector issued us a violation, with an order to appear. Under the new letter-grade system we are now on the downward slope (no pun) with the DOH. We will appear, pay the fine as ordered but the presence of dogs henceforth will result in escalating fines, fines per dog present, those dreaded "B"s and (gasp) "C"s and the threat of a DOH shutdown. None of which a small business will survive. The DOH response here reads as zero tolerance and dogs are verboten whether you have a kitchen or not. 

A lot of public support for us, of course. Dog owners are upset and bewildered, as am I. I have long supported animal activists, charities, rescues etc. here (18 years in this community!) 

I have begun to address this and have reached out to Brad Lander who agreed to look into it. 

When The Gate opened in 1997, Fifth Avenue was a far cry from what it is today. Blue Ribbon didn't even show up until 2001. When it opened, there was palpable excitement about it's existence in the no man's land that was Fifth Avenue at the time. The Gate was an oasis, and unlike any of the few other bars around. Sure, there was 200 Fifth, but The Gate was different, and not just because you could bring your dog. It was friendly and neighborly. See that cover pic? That's Gus. A canine regular. Here's the memorial The Gate posted when Gus died.

So, who could possibly be so bothered by the dogs at The Gate that they would call the DOH to complain? A patron who doesn't want to drink around dogs? If they don't serve food, is it really a health hazard? Why does it feel like something more nefarious is at work? That corner of Third Street is some prime Park Slope real estate. We know that greedy landlords all over Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue are jacking up rents to kick out the small businesses in hopes of bringing in big chain store money. Maybe this is some asshole's first step in trying to take down The Gate. 

If you love The Gate as much as we do, here's what you can do to help: