Voice of the Restaurant Industry
A chilling question to consider
The events of the past few days in Mombai have sent a chill across the world as we come to understand anew the fact that fanaticism and hatred can reek havoc with life as we know it in ways we don't ususally think about.
Can we expect similar attacks on hotels and restaurants here in the U.S.? I have heard various experts in the past couple of days indicate that another attack here is something we need to be on the alert for - how will this affect our industry?
Can we expect similar attacks on hotels and restaurants here in the U.S.? I have heard various experts in the past couple of days indicate that another attack here is something we need to be on the alert for - how will this affect our industry?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by pubmaster on -
I was once working at a hotel/casino in Lake Tahoe, where all of the employees were required to attend Bomb School. It was scary, and informative. They were getting one bomb threat per day. One day, the threat was real, and the hotel blew up. That was thirty years ago. I still am very alert to my surroundings, and watchful of unattended packages and luggage. Interesting topic.
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Permalink Reply by susan holaday on -
I think it's fascinating that this was happening 30 years ago - we seem to look at these attacks since the World Trade Center bombing and later, 9/11, as something "new." Where were the bomb threats coming from then and why? I guess the point is, you really can't drift along complacently.
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Permalink Reply by susan holaday on
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I think it's fascinating that this was happening 30 years ago - we seem to look at these attacks since the World Trade Center bombing and later, 9/11, as something "new." Where were the bomb threats coming from then and why? I guess the point is, you really can't drift along complacently.
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Permalink Reply by pubmaster on
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Yeah, there's always been sickos around. The bomb that blew up the casino was placed by a disgruntled gambler. sore loser, I guess.
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Permalink Reply by Howard Appell on -
That sad reality is that restaurants and hotels are soft targets. We have seen this type of target selected for many years in Israel. Just like in Israel we must teach our society to be aware and always on the look out for the unusual. It's better to report a mistake than not to report the real thing.
As I type this response I am feeling sad that we have to live like this in the US but the rest of the world has been doing it for years as we became complacent. Now is the time to get strong and not give the SOB's an opening. Be alert!
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Non-OperatorPermalink Reply by Paul Paz on -
Hi Susan...
Foodservice outlets worldwide have always been easy targets for terrorists. The USA has more international outlets than any other country and the recent growth of USA companies overseas will only provide more terrorist opportunities.
We in the USA are a fickled culture and our emotional and psychological focus shifts minute to minute. A few months ago, America was making USA warfare top of the list. That changed when the economy stepped up to replace it. I wonder, how much of our concerns are tied to what the media happens to be reporting at the moment.
Media is filled with negatives and urgent alerts of life threatening circumstances every hour. I think we are overloaded with the mental trauma of international tragedy and drama to the point of disconnected numbness. It is just easier.
Historically, terrorist acts on USA soil have been perpetrated by Americans! Remember the Oklahoma City bombing (1995), Atlanta Olympic bombing (1996), Thurston High shooting (1998)?
The first recorded terrorist act in modern time in the USA happened in my own state of Oregon: Rajneeshee bio-terror attack in The Dalles, OR (1984). Sadly, the previously mentioned Thurston High shooting was also in Oregon.
Unfortunately, we in the restaurant industry have a greater threat of violence in the workplace than any other industry. It was just reported a few weeks ago, “third most common cause of workplace death in the U.S.: homicide and violent acts.” (See the following link for complete article, Restaurant workers in high-murder category, Post-Dispatch – St Louis, MO 11/12/08 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty... )
We already have a full plate worrying if the person next to us might be dangerous. I would say our concerns about a terrorist attack on USA soil against a foodservice operation would not garner much attention (preventive or otherwise) until it happens.
We as culture are easy to slip back into complacency. We worry about it if it is right in our face. Until then… the status quo will do just fine.
Paul
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Non-OperatorPermalink Reply by Paul Paz on -
Hello...
What creepy irony!
After my earlier post, and particularly noting Oregon's history on this topic, a bombing only 18-miles from my home!
Paul
Arrest made in Woodburn bank bombing
by The Oregonian
Monday December 15, 2008, 6:57 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/police_release_pho...
The Associated PressOfficers work at the West Coast Bank in Woodburn, where a bomb blast killed a police officer and a state bomb disposal technician.
Authorities arrested a suspect in the Salem area Sunday evening in the Woodburn bank bombing that killed two police explosives experts and injured the town's police chief and a bank employee.
The name of the suspect, address of the arrest or any details about the investigation were not released "to protect the integrity of the investigation and the safety of officers continuing to investigate this crime," a news release from the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
"The arrest was the result of an intensive round-the-clock investigation by an interagency task force comprised of federal, state, county, and city public safety agencies," Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham said. "I'm really proud of those who tirelessly worked to get us to this point and am humbled by the community's support. We know there is still a lot of hard work ahead of us, but this development will help bring relief to the local community and the officers' families."
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