As a reader of the Santa Barbara Independent since being lucky enough to move to town in 2014, I’ve enjoyed Nick Welsh's columns and found them to be thoughtful, well written, and oftentimes quite funny. Reading "Lamentations for a Latte," I was surprised to see a series of derogatory comments directed toward some local coffee shops and the cocktail bar, Test Pilot, which I own with my wife. Owning a business requires a thick skin, and while I’ve made a habit out of not responding to negative and nonconstructive feedback, I found these comments worthy of a rebuttal.
After tending bar, hustling, and gritting through almost 20 years in the restaurant and bar industry, my wife and I were able to scrape together the funds to open what are now two successful Santa Barbara cocktail bars. Our original bar is located on what you refer to as the "deader than dead … festering corpse" State Street corridor that includes the historic Granada Theatre, next to which is The Good Lion. We also own what we call a contemporary tiki bar in the Funk Zone, called Test Pilot. We are incredibly proud of our staffs, our product, and, most importantly, our hospitality at these two venues.
To speak directly to your critique of our "retro-ironic tiki joint," may I suggest the following: