As vaccination numbers rise and the world inches closer to “normal” one Tampa bar is keeping it real with some of its patrons.
Shuffle, located at 2621 N Tampa St. in Tampa Heights, has a new public service announcement postcard that simply says “Wear your fucking mask when you’re shuffleboarding you piece of shit.”
The vagina-forward bar—which celebrates its third anniversary this month—was a touch kinder in its social media caption making the announcement. “Put a mask on your pretty pretty face and come get the last of this delicious Dry Hopped Saison from @baycannonbeer,” Shuffle wrote.
Shuffle co-founder Jennifer Evanchyk told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the inspiration for the PSA wasn’t that complicated.
“I literally texted Joe [D’Acunto, designer for hire] one day and said can you make us something that says WEAR YOUR FUCKING MASK WHEN YOU'RE SHUFFLEBOARDING YOU PIECE OF SHIT?,” Evanchyk wrote in a text message. “And that's what he sent. It was so funny that I printed them.”
Evanchyk thinks that some people may think of playing shuffleboard like going to the gym or something. “It's against their rights to have to wear a mask when exercising,” she said, adding that Shuffle staff does have free masks to give to patrons who forget theirs. The bar and music venue even has some custom masks for sale.
“We will put them on you if you want for extra cost,” Evanchyk said.
And if you thought Shuffle was joking, just check out a Facebook review left for the venue over the weekend. In it, the user/troll, whose profile is cringey at best, said took offense to being asked to take a mask, adding he doesn’t even carry a mask because “ …this is Florida.” The user even referred to Evanchyk as “oppressive.”
“I’ve never been called oppressive before,” Evanchyk wrote in the comments. “I feel like a world leader.”
Shuffle, of course, is the same Tampa bar that in 2019 hilariously ran a President’s Day promotion where it promised to add 20% to the bill of anyone who came in wearing a MAGA hat.
And before you write off Shuffle as some bastion of liberal, antifa-loving, queercore, commie values, remember that it’s owned by the patriots and daughters of Vietnam vets who let veteran’s rehab and play shuffleboard for free on Veteran’s Day.
Plus, since early 2019, the neighborhood bar and restaurant has been hosting vets from the James A. Haley VA for recreational therapy. Several VA inpatient groups, including the PTRP (Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program), which helps polytrauma injured patients prepare to return home, have all come to play.
In a release from Shuffle co-founder and co-owner Danielle O'Connor and Evanchyk wrote that, "many patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are relearning how to do most everything, including shop, cook and count." Shuffleboard gives patients the opportunity to play a sport while improving their math skills to add the scores. Others practice standing up from their wheelchairs or walkers to gain balance, while slinging biscuits.
Shuffle’s backyard stage hosted a metal concert last weekend, and it’s important to note that the City of Tampa does have an ordinance that says bar and restaurant patrons must be masked unless seated and actively eating or drinking, so follow the rules or get fucking reminded to do so, I guess.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMVMLTas6v6UPDATED: 03/16/21 1:35 p.m. Updated with additional background being included in print version of this story.
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This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2021.