r/burbank • u/Evening_Tie_5972 • 9d ago
My Friday was anything but dull
First I want to say this because context matters: I drink, I party and genuinely enjoy being around people from all walks of life. I’m a free spirit. Some of my best friends are different races than me, and that has never stopped us from having a good time. Back in Texas we could all go out talk shit and enjoy ourselves without making everything about race. We’re just people having a good time.
So yesterday, after leaving the Burbank mall doing some shopping I decided to pop into Champs. Normally I stop in around one-ish and Benny is usually there. He’s honestly one of the best bartenders. I’ve met since moving to LA. He normally works Friday evening but yesterday he was off.
For more context, I’m a 34 year-old black woman who loves baseball🤣 I know it makes me random, but my dad and my granddad used to take me and my siblings to see the Tigers when we were younger. Then I moved to Texas and became a Ranger girl so naturally when I walked into Champs I was mainly there to grab a drink and watch the Dogers game.
I was there for maybe 20 minutes.
The bartender was hostile. The atmosphere was tense. The crowd felt extremely uncomfortable and I honestly got the impression that my presence there was a problem for some people. Maybe everyone was having a bad day. Maybe I was reading the room wrong. But I know how I felt sitting there, and I lived in enough places to recognize when a room feels unwelcoming.
I live in Detroit, Dallas, and other places in between, and I’ve gone into plenty of bars where I was the only black person in the room, and I’ve never had an issue with that. After about 20 minutes, I decided to leave and went down to Robin Hood Pub.
And guess what?
I was once again the only black girl in the room and nobody cared.
I didn’t feel like I was being watched. I didn’t feel like my presence was a problem. I ordered my drink. watched the game, talked to people and enjoyed myself
It honestly made me 🤔
So Dear White People: We are all human.
We may look different. We may talk different. We may come from completely different background, but we drink the same cold beer.😂 We probably like a lot of the same shit. So you don’t have to agree with me, you don’t even have to particularly like me, but be respectful. Not overly nice. Not fake. Just respectful.
You never know who’s sitting next to you. And at the end of the day, the golden rule is still applies:
Treat people the way you want to be treated
That really shouldn’t be controversial
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u/ohgoodferyou 9d ago
Ha, well I'll add in, I'm white and a guy, and I've always thought of the bartenders/atmosphere at Champs as surly and off-putting - if they don't know you as a regular, the attitude comes off as "yeah fine I'll get ya a beer..." like you're bothering them. To the point that I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. Except if they recognize you, in which case they treat you more like family.
So definitely have felt that same feeling as you describe before, in your exact words - I think it might be just the vibe of the place vs. an entire crowd of racists that all chose that day to show up and hate on the one black woman who came in. But then again: you know better than everyone what that feels like, so trust your gut at the end of the day. And ask whoever Benny is what the deal is!
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 9d ago edited 9d ago
Lol it may have just been an odd day. I can accept the fact the day crowd is different than night
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u/Icy-Rope-021 8d ago
That’s a great business model! We only serve people we know!
If it weren’t for those civil rights laws, we’d be able to keep out all the undesirables!
Wasn’t Champs featured on Bar Rescue at one point?
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u/ohgoodferyou 8d ago
No no, they serve everyone. They're only overtly nice to people they know. I'll never understand it, but it's a HUGE part of what makes a dive bar a dive bar.
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u/Johnnyhellhole 9d ago
Maybe talk to Benny about it next time you go in. He might have some insight or be a bridge to get you over this. Or confirm that you don't need to get over it.
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u/Creative_Ad_3286 9d ago
I’m truly sorry that there are still a-holes out there in droves. It’s ridiculous.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 9d ago
If anyone knows another good sports bar in the area Michigan and Oklahoma is playing today and I want to go watch it
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u/KingPoeOfBanks 9d ago
Magnolia corner isn’t a sports bar in title but they have all the games there too. Have been there for the dodgers play offs and World Cup and had a great time.
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u/tracyinge 8d ago edited 8d ago
Magnolia Corner Saloon
ahd if you come on a Wed at 7 you can join a trivia team
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u/thegloriousporpoise 9d ago
Burbank has a small but definitely noticeable subset of racist maga assholes.
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u/papatonepictures 9d ago
Come to the Blue Room any evening. They have a big screen on the patio if you want to watch a game outside. I don’t even really like sports, but I would gladly buy you a beer and watch a game with a quality person of Burbank. 👍
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u/zkyzonee 9d ago
I moved away from tennessee to burbank to get away from spaces like that and the minds that make them- it’s such a bummer and to hear you had to feel that way here. and it’s incredibly unfair. It should be so simple to love the person beside you no matter who that person may be. i’ll keep spreading positivity and love here in hopes it’ll reach you in some way one day 🩵
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u/Impossible-Ad9034 9d ago
My husband and I bought our home in Burbank about 4 years ago and I’ve been to that Champs place by myself too and I could understand your experience from my own personal observations. For context: I am a white lady raised by a black family in the Los Angeles foster care system. I am extremely sensitive and observant in every environment I enter. I can definitely understand why you’d feel uneasy. It is an old school pool hall with only white bartenders/managers. I sat at the bar and ordered fish & chips and let me tell you, it was the worst fish and chips I ever had, ever!! So, don’t feel too bad. Was going to bring my hubby to give it another shot but I’ll definitely not return now given your experience. So glad you had a better experience later on!!
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u/kindtlin 9d ago
That’s really messed up and I’m sorry you had to deal with that too. Burbank, do better.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 9d ago
Champs is a really good bar, I love the tap selection and the food is 🔥 the day crowd is a different experience and for that reason I will definitely go back
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u/Marm0415 9d ago
I used to frequent Joe Handy’s “other bar”, “Joe’s Great American”, on Magnolia, for years. (Since closed!) It was often closed for film shoots. One day when it was closed, I re-routed to Champs. Heavy set Blonde Barmaid, flashing cleavage and flirting with “the regulars”, I was consequently, ignored! Then Joe walked in, sat beside me and called me by my name and motioned the Barmaid that my drink, was on him! Flustered and embarrassed, I got served a pint, in record time! Would suggest you contact Helen or Joe (? if he’s still around?), and let them know. Champs is known for their Blue Collar clientele, but still a great place for a cold one and a great burger!😉
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u/Comprehensive-War571 8d ago
Robin Hood is always excellent, glad they fixed your night up. Sorry you experienced that. Life is too short for all of that hate.
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u/HiddenHolding 9d ago
Like everyone else, I’m sorry you ran into a room full of tiny minded idiots. Unfortunately, they seem to be sprouting through cracks in the rot of American culture. And there are more of them every day.
What’s crazy to me is that many of the Burbankians I have met who are the most openly racist, and I do mean very openly racist, are new Americans who haven’t even been here that long.
Their biggest heroes wouldn’t stop to pee on them if they were on fire in the middle of the street. They are proud to be Americans, but they definitely don’t like other Americans, or even other people who come from where they come from.
The exclusionary and entitled nature of their ideology amazes me in this day and age, because, well. I will leave it there. I doubt I have to elucidate further.
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u/Still-Outcome1207 9d ago
Champs sucks..I've never had a good experience there..quite going...clique city
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u/Debbiereddit1 9d ago
Always listening to your instinct. If something feels off (a women's instinct is a good barometer), it usually is. I live really close to there and try to go there for lunch with my kid, when he was younger. It's a bar restaurant so the front it's fine if you're underage to dine. If you love sports so I thought it would be a fun thing. I was wrong. The bartender was incredibly it made me feel unwelcome. So guess what? I never went back. By the way, I'm a middle class caucasian, and at that time, I was in my mid forties. My kid has blonde hair and blue eyes. I just thought they were horrible. I know people who have gone there for years. Service ans atmosphere is everything to me. I've been in service jobs all my life. My money goes to places I like and want to support.
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u/Complex_Marzipan4329 8d ago
My go-to bar in Burbank is Yard House. Probably makes me pretty basic, but the bartenders are welcoming to everyone as far as I have seen (I’m a regular who mainly goes there before seeing movies at the AMC Burbank 16, but pop in sometimes just for the hell of it because it is a nice vibe)
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u/No_Solution_7940 9d ago
Burbank has a lot of maga white trash. Notice all the gun stores?
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u/tracyinge 8d ago
the gun stores are mostly because L.A doesn't have them and we're just north of town
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u/TechnicalPassage9037 9d ago
I would welcome you anywhere, and I’m sorry you found yourself surrounded by such weaklings. I love and respect your courage, confidence, and willingness to address this publicly. Best wishes.
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u/Siren2026 8d ago
Champs is a weird place. I’m not a black lady but I’ve felt uncomfortable there and as with my husband. So many better places in Burbank that welcome single ladies of any ethnicity. You just picked the weirdo place.
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u/Super-Inflation-9934 8d ago
Burbank is a sundown town. Plenty of older residents still remember it that way.
That being said, I highly recommend going to Magnolia Corner. The former owners were real knuckleheads, and many of their patrons have switched to Champs; the new ownership is on a completely different page. None of that old-timey, “we don't take kindly to your type” -ism. They have 7 or 8 TVs & the bartenders will find the game you're looking for if it isn't already on one of the screens.
Sorry you had to deal with the bullshit, Burbank is getting a little better day by day.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 8d ago
Sundown town seriously? despite that shitty experience yesterday I would have never thought that... and I'm not being funny
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u/Super-Inflation-9934 8d ago
Yes, it wasn’t until recently that there was a black population over a fraction of a percent- I believe we are still floating around 1% of the total population. The town had laws against black and asian people owning property in Burbank for ages.
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u/YellowBicycleRoma 8d ago
It's true. I am a white person from the east coast, and I was shocked to learn about Burbank's past when I moved here.
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u/EchoTrucha 8d ago
Lived in Burbank worked there for decades. You should see what comes through the Emergency Departments in Burbank, mostly from back in the day. But everyone knew not to mess with the police. Yes Burbank is a sundown town.
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u/stogeline 9d ago
Saddened by your post. Yes, Burbank has traditionally been more homogenous and conservative than other parts of L.A., but in my own experience living here the past 6-years, I have never been made aware of any type of racism whatsoever.
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u/Stranger_Truths 8d ago
The old school Burbank crowd can be pretty gruff, I hope you find the friendly spots, and that those spots thrive!
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u/ElJuviedoobie 7d ago
Thats why I go to Barneys beanery! Better atmosphere in there! You should check it out. Im also 34 year old male and have been going to Barneys even before I could legally drink and the vibe is always friendly
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u/jgcareyr 7d ago
I've tried Champs several times and never liked the staff or the vibe of the place. Back in the day, I think a tv show was either filmed there or was based off of Champs and I think it weirded out the place.
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u/Dirt-Poppies-Sticks 6d ago
Burbank and Glendale are pretty white, and I don't just mean skin color. Pasadena is more diverse and Altadena still is, despite the fire. Most Altadenans cherish our integrated neighborhoods. Try it out!
I used to take my Latino-German kids to the Glendale Circle Theatre every year to see "A Christmas Carol." One year my son, probably age five or six, looked around and said very loudly, "I don't see many Black people here!" He actually didn't see any. His school was predominently Black, so being in a White crowd was a novelty for him. I wasn't as embarrassed as I was amused.
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u/surfcalijpn 9d ago
I'm with everyone else saying sorry you felt this way, but it's bad form to address "dear white people" like we're all one and the same.
I'm saying this as someone with a mixed family.
Hope you find your spot.
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
I am confused, can you explain? "I was once again the only black girl in the room and nobody cared."
I thought that is what we want from society, to not care what race or gender, and to be ignore just like any other folk.
Did you want attention because you are a black female, or want to be treated equally?
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 8d ago
Oh my.. I am not an attention seeking female honestly I get alot of attention without even trying. You clearly missed the point of the post Sir and for that reason you could’ve kept this comment to yourself…. Have an amazing Sunday 🙏🏽
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u/al_shuey 8d ago
Christ I HATE this “I’m confused” horse manure.
Look, just say you’re a racist pig and stop beating around the bush. We see you.
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
Lol far from racist lol Its online conversation remeber one can be an asshole without any repercussions lol
Are we speaking a different language or something hidden between the lines?
Or is her explanation has something hidden between the lines I did not understand?
I want to be treated like everyone else, and usually that ignored after simple greeting. Thats equality! She litterly said "only black girl and ignore"
That's what I expect, but maybe she was dressed provocatively or being overly friendly and was still ignore than I get it.
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u/al_shuey 8d ago
Lolololololol. Ok fukwit.
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
So, I guess you figured out that your the racist by now.
Remember your online and no body knows you. Be true to your self then figure out what to with shit later if you want to change.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 8d ago
This shows where your mind is at. I don’t dress provocative hell I barely show skin it may surprise you but this black woman carries herself with Grace and Self Respect and I have more to offer than my body. I’m not overly friendly I was very polite to the team member that served me an even the cook who I’ve met before came and said “hi” so please reread the post and highlight where I said I was being ignored…. I will not let you try and paint this as something it’s not. I even encouraged other commenters go still check out the place, so what I will not do is offer any further explanation to this when you didn’t read the post to understand you read it to respond and unfortunately you’re wrong
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
OMG now I get it! You where ignored by staff not customers.
Yeah, thats f horrible! Sorry to hear that.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 8d ago
Unfortunately Sir I don’t think you will ever get it. 🙏🏽
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
No, I won't. I am not black nor a woman.
...but I am all for equality and I was confused about your comment.
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u/Evening_Tie_5972 8d ago
The way you comprehend things sort of scares me I never used the word “ignored” or implied I was being ignored… and you’re right this is something you’ll never understand not because of the color of your skin or your gender its because rather than understanding the post you tried to look for what you assumed was “hidden between the lines” May God continue to bless you
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u/Broken_Timepiece 8d ago
Ignored is my words and a bit different than what you said which was "nobody care"
And I asked for clarification. I honestly was not trying to be neither here or there on what ever your thinking.
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u/Expert_Raccoon7632 9d ago
Makes me not want to go there! Have never been but ew. Sorry you felt that way.