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Read the press release here.

Rude Taylor Swift Fans Walked Out on $500 Bar Tab, Owner Says

By Lisha Arino | August 12, 2015 12:18pm
 What would Taylor Swift do about irate patrons acting out in her name?
What would Taylor Swift do about irate patrons acting out in her name?
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Getty Images/Sascha Steinbach

Hey Taylor Swift fans, why you gotta be so mean?

A group of 15 drunk patrons hurled insults at the staff of an East Village wine bar because it wasn’t playing enough of Swift’s music — then left without paying its $500 tab, according to an owner.

“They were screaming 'BOO, YOU SUCK!' at me and my wait staff because Taylor Swift wasn’t playing on our sound system,” wrote Denyse Santoro, who owns Ballaró on Second Avenue near East Fifth Street, in an email to neighbors.

The email was an effort to explain why the words “WE DO NOT PLAY TAYLOR SWIFT HERE YOU C—TS GRAZIE” were scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk outside the bar, according to Gawker, which first published the letter. The note was also posted on the bar’s Facebook page Tuesday, according to EV Grieve, which first posted a photo of the anti-Swift chalking.

Santoro said neither she nor her staff scribbled the angry sidewalk missive and have no idea who did it, according to the posted letters. Ballaró did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 A group of 15 drunk patrons hurled insults at Ballaro's staff for not playing enough of Taylor Swift's music, the owner said.
A group of 15 drunk patrons hurled insults at Ballaro's staff for not playing enough of Taylor Swift's music, the owner said.
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Ballaro

Santoro said the staff tried to placate the group with two of the pop star’s songs. They thought they succeeded when the group began singing and dancing but as soon as the playlist moved on to other artists, the complaints resumed and the situation escalated, she said.

“They started screaming that the songs I played weren’t the right one and I was told that, “this place is shit, the music and the people here suck.” I was then told to, “Go back to your country with that f---ing immigrant face,” Santoro wrote.

At that point, Santoro kicked them out of the bar while one of the women in the group whipped out her phone and said she would make a “viral video so no one would come to Ballaro anymore,” the co-owner said.

The writing outside the bar appeared the next day.

Despite the negative encounter, Santoro insisted there was no bad blood between her and the patrons.

“I’ve learned that everybody deserves a second chance and I have learned the importance of always responding in love, no matter what insults or hurt is thrown at me,” she said.

Read the full letter here.