In Defense: Heartland Brewery Not a Crappy Tourist Trap

There are plenty of opportunities here for diners to complain about bad meals, egregious service, and other general unpleasantries in the restaurant industry. But what about when an operator wants to defend his or her honor? There's room for that too. We now hand the mic over to Jon Bloostein, founder of the chain of beer centric spots Heartland Brewery. He responds to this comment, regarding the TGI Friday's move to Union Square: "I bet Heartland Brewery will be psyched not to be the crappiest tourist-trap restaurant in Union Square anymore." Turns out he's not psyched. Take it away Jon:

I am the founder of Heartland Brewery. I was disappointed to read the disparaging remarks about my company by a reader in your article this morning on TGI Friday’s impending location in Union Square. I would appreciate if you would inform your readers that we have won three Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medals for our beer. (The GABF is the preeminent beer competition in the country.) Moreover, 85 percent of the people who dine at the Union Square Heartland are New Yorkers so it’s inaccurate to call it a “tourist trap.”

As for our food, our newest restaurant, HB Burger, has received rave reviews from both Josh Ozersky and Nick Solares, the city’s two leading hamburger authorities. By the way, your readers might be interested to know that we will soon be serving that same HB burger made with LaFrieda meat at the Union Square Heartland.