The real Grove Park Inn question: will male employees be able to have beards?

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The news today is that all of the Grove Park Inn’s employees will have to reapply for their jobs, as required by the historic inn’s new owner. But the real question is whether male employees be allowed to have beards. The inn has apparently had the no-beard policy for years, though it did allow mustaches, according to the commenting on an Asheville Reddit thread.

The no-beard policy in Asheville “is about like saying you cant work in the middle east if you have a turban,” one commenter noted.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

14 Comments

  1. Big Al April 17, 2012

    Funny thing about excess hair in a restaurant kitchen. It sometimes ends up on a patron’s plate. That’s one of the nastiest experiences you can have in a restaurant. If you’re making my food- SHAVE! And that goes for some of the women in this town too.

    Reply
    1. Foghatjoe April 19, 2012

      Just so you know, according to research, most hair that ends up in food comes from the interior of the nostril, not from the chin.

      Reply
      1. Big Al April 19, 2012

        Lemme guess. You got this “research” from Beards Today magazine? It’s gross in food prep unless it’s covered. And then of course you just look ridiculous.

        Reply
        1. Foghatjoe April 20, 2012

          So I should wear a nose shield?

          Reply
  2. mat catastrophe April 16, 2012

    Beards are the freaking mullet of the 21st century. Shave, dudes. You look stupid.

    Also, the real question – which I have posted elsewhere – is: WILL THE GIANT BUFFET ROOM STILL BE THERE?

    Reply
    1. Foghatjoe April 17, 2012

      You can shave my beard from my cold, dead, chin…

      Reply
  3. Big Al April 15, 2012

    Isn’t “getting a beard” also slang for an older man who acquires a young boyfriend?

    Reply
    1. Nate April 18, 2012

      No, it’s slang for a closeted gay man finding a woman to *pretend* to be his girlfriend to reassure people about his heterosexuality. But you already knew that.

      Reply
      1. Big Al April 23, 2012

        Actually, NO, I did not. I am clearly not up to date on gay slang, being a “breeder” and all.

        BTW, the other thread of posts on this topic is not me. Somebody else must like being “Big Al” as well. I do not disagree with anything he said, but it is just not cool to hijack another’s identity.

        Reply
        1. Fat Albert April 23, 2012

          You’re right Big Al. It wasn’t cool of me. I post all over the place as Big Al and just wasn’t paying attention. My apologies sir.

          Reply
          1. Fat Albert April 23, 2012

            Dammit! I changed the name and it replied as Big Al anyway.

            Reply
  4. Brightside28806 April 15, 2012

    This is not the only Asheville business that discriminates based on beards— I know a nice guy with 5+ years in food service who has been turned down for jobs by Earthfare, Circle in the Square, and a few others based on his beard. Funny, because I have seen dreadlocks on several employees at these establishments…..It seems closed-minded .

    Reply
    1. Ashevillain April 16, 2012

      Are dreadlocks and beards the same thing? No. Is there evidence of actual discrimination? I doubt it. I suspect in the case you are mentioning it’s more along the lines of, “well, you are hired but if you want this job you’ll need to shave.” Not, “we aren’t even going to consider hiring you because you have a beard.”

      There are bearded employees at Earth Fare…probably not in the food preparation areas though. It’s pretty standard practice for businesses that prepare food to not allow people to grow a beard. Mustaches seem to be allowed sometimes. Doesn’t the Health Department deduct points for food prep employees with facial hair?

      The GPI’s non-beard policy is not even nearly comparable to a restaurant with the same policy. GPI was prohibiting beards among ALL employees. The janitors, maintenance workers, landscapers, etc. It is more of a policy of uniformity…it takes away any symbol of individualism…aims to make all workers look indistinguishably uniform. They aren’t the first and won’t be the last company to take away its workers’ individual identities.

      Reply
      1. Foghatjoe April 16, 2012

        There are no health code penalties for having a bearded kitchen employee. At the (upscale) restaurant I work at almost all of the cooks and the head chef have facial hair and we never lose points as a result.

        Reply

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