Rock star insults beloved Seattle institution, owner responds in epic way

Tom Morello. From Getty Images.



WARNING: Story has some offensive language 

SEATTLE -- Turns out, being a rock star with a bit of an ego -- at least it appears -- doesn't get your eggs served to you any faster in Seattle.

And Rage Against The Machine's guitarist Tom Morello found that out the hard way.

Morello and Rage played El Corazon Friday as part of a benefit concert for 15 Now Seattle -- a group supporting an increase to $15 an hour minimum wage in the area. According to Blabbermouth.net, Morello went to noted greasy spoon The 5 Point Cafe after the show.But instead of a quick beer and some eggs, he found a bit of a line at the door.

What played out next is up to interpretation, but Morello appeared to leave the restaurant before going in. Morello took to Twitter to claim he was confronted by rude staff, who wanted nothing to do with him and didn't offer him any chance at finding a table.



But The 5 Point Cafe has a different story. Morello allegedly wanted a special table in the back when the place was at capacity. He was being rude and his group showed little respect for the person working the door, the Cafe's owner said on Facebook.

"For the record Tom Morello - The 5 Point is totally pro-worker," the owner said on Facebook. "We try to pay more than any other small restaurant, and on top of the higher pay, we offer health insurance, paid sick days, paid time off, retirement and profit share. 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 = get treated like a prick.

"I have to say, your 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 workers rights since.

PS - rock stars don't get special treatment at The 5 Point. We couldn't give less of a shit. Sorry."

The owner continued:

"And PSS -I'm the owner of the 5 Point and have worked to raise the minimum wage in Seattle and support the same nationally, worked to get paid sick days law in Seattle, and am supporting a City sponsored retirement plan for employees of small businesses. I hope you do the same for your employees on the road..."

Morello stood by his tweet, saying he was indeed treated poorly, and requested nothing special, not even mentioning his rock-star status. He called the person at the door, just "rude."

Later, Morello tweeted he was willing to forgive The 5 Spot Cafe.



The Twitter exchange exploded online Tuesday, with a story becoming one of the hottest talked about on Reddit. Most appear to take the restaurant's side.

"This hardly goes with RATM's support for a classless society," one user said.