Chuck Rogers, manager of something called “Fastbacks” in Brook Park, sent a series of rambling, threatening messages to a woman named Emma who apparently left a one-star review of the place on Facebook. This is never a good idea — the seeking out of a reviewer, not the review itself, of course. 

What is Fastbacks? According to Rogers’ own Yelp review of the place, they serve “Great BBQ and Full menu of food items.” 

But more to the point: Rogers allegedly hurled a bunch of insults and threats to Emma, as you can see in screengrabs she provided. She left a one-star review of Fastbacks with no text or additional comment about a month ago, and Rogers chose this week to flip out on her. “now fuck you bitch.. you should’ve left us alone ya cunt.. we are gonna fuck up your whole life..,” (sic) for example.

The string of insults and threats is rather intense, including multiple instances where this guy calls Emma a “cunt” and a “bitch.” His grammar is, of course, pretty nightmarish. 

The threats involve Rogers saying it’s “open season” on Emma and her business and offering a “free drink” to anyone who “fucks with em.” (sic)

We called the restaurant multiple times this morning seeking Rogers or the owner (the restaurant opens at 11 a.m.), though no one answered. 

After all that malarkey, however, things escalated. Emma sent us a photo of newly broken windows on her Detroit-Shoreway storefront this morning.


Three rocks lay surrounded by glass in her music/clothing/misc. store, with two major holes sweeping in the Detroit Avenue wind. From a law enforcement angle, it’s difficult to say who did that — but Emma did receive a message this morning:

Here are the aforementioned screenshots of the one-sided conversation:



All morning, Fastbacks has been inundated with fresh one-star reviews. Here is Emma’s original one-star review — the spark that ignited what Rogers has since called a “war” — 

This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2016.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

51 replies on “Local Bar Manager Gets Really Angry Over One-Star Review, Allegedly Contacts Reviewer With Threatening Language”

  5. This dude banned me from his bar after my buddy (who i didn’t know worked there) played a show and was complaining about stolen money from the show. I said it wouldn’t surprise me if it was the management at that place because i heard bad things about them ripping off bands/artists. After that the owner Chuck started talking shit about me (which is fine i don’t i have thick skin) but then he started talking shit about my band and bandmates and other people he doesn’t know. My vocalist wanted to go break out this dudes windows and beat his ass i had to remind him that Chuck is just some piece of shit who is mad that he has a failing business and it’s all due to him………

  7. Be sure to flag this dude’s 5-star Yelp review of his own business. It is against Yelp’s terms of service for a business owner or any employee of the business to review their own place.

  8. If I’m not mistaken, this is the same douchebag (chuck Rogers) that barraged me with profanities…. and even went so far as to tell me he hoped that I ended up with the same cancer that was killing my mother at that time…all because I politely declined when he asked me to help promote his music festival, appropriately named, “sleazefest”….

  14. The math is pretty simple……lunatic “manager” plus dumpy bar plus idiocy that appears to blast into criminality equals the state may soon be taking a hard look at the liquor license.

  15. I left a one star review on his page and he private messaged me with treats and telling me that he’d make sure my band would never play in cleveland and he also named dropped people who work at other REAL venues and said that he would tell them not to book my band…well since I happened to know some of these people he was name dropping I contacted them and sent them screenshots of what he was saying..needless to say they didn’t have chucks back as much as he thought..Chuck rogers is a joke

  16. Not to mention, all of the photos he uses for menu items are photos from other restaurant’s websites. This guy is a racist, sexist, fraud.

  17. Better be careful, he’s gonna come throw a brick through the Cleveland Scene windows after he sees this article!

  21. This guy is a moron but don’t write disrespectful reviews either. Have a problem? Contact ownership and deal with your problem. Don’t be a wuss and cry on social media. How do you expect anyone to fix your problem?

  22. Wow, this guy seems to have fucked with a lot of people in the CLE. I hope the word spreads. Is he just the manager? Because the owner needs to take a hard look at who he/she employees.

  23. 4:54 and 5:34…all she did was post a 1 star review. She didn’t say anything about the 1 star, just gave the star. So, are we only allowed to review if it’s favorable?

  24. He had a after hours joint downtown that was shit down for illegal activity. How the he’ll did he even get liquor liscence to open this bar? The food here is awful. They tried to charge me $4.00 for 1 piece of cornbread, not a loaf 1 piece. He is very racist also.

  26. Chuck Roger needs to be in jail. It’s unacceptable to have temper tantrums that threaten or harm others. Our society should expect that this kind of behavior is met with consequences, otherwise, someone will get hurt. That seems to be the American way for “off” people.

  27. Wow…this guy is so “Professional”. Will NEVER step a foot near that place or anyone that is closely involved. Doesn’t sound safe for women to be in or around it. No excuse for that behavior. Take the criticism and make an effort to better the experience—Not threaten and act like a friggin’ thug.
    Men that threaten and abuse women like this are “little” boys. Not men. SAD!

  29. This guy just sucks. Restaurants get one star reviews all of the time and you know what you do with that? Try to make your establishment better. There is no need to harass somebody and make threats. That is disgusting behavior. I’m glad that this has been brought to everyone’s attention. I doubt this d-bag will learn a thing from it. Seriously, eff this guy.

  30. This guy has always thought he was a gangster. He opens these clubs in Michele or other people’s names, when shit doesn’t go his way, he will go out of his way to bash, harrass and threaten them. I refused to tattoo inside one of his clubs and he tried his hardest to bash Me. Never gonna happen. Karmas a bitch. I went to this club to see Geoff Hines. Waited an hour for food and there was only 5 people in the bar! Nothing but drama and choas….fucking pathetic. Guy needs a reality check. Karmas a bitch.

  32. Be sure to flag his Google reviews as well since he fraudulently posted there to boost his star rating. You can easily do that through the Google maps app, looking his venue up and commenting.

  33. @ c’mon- the comment at 5:34 is directed at the douche bag bar owner NOT the poor pregnant girl being harassed.

  36. Just so everyone knows, Chuck Rogers is the owner of Fastbacks. The only way to get this fuck “Fired” is to get that cest pool he calls a club closed down. Any respectable band would not waste their time there. Plus their liqueur is watered down and the food is terrible.

  38. He smashed her windows!!!! This went from crazy to downright scary!! She didn’t even write anything. Why isn’t this guy in jail? Restraining order?? Something!! I really think she needs protection! A lot of people left anonymous comments probably because this guy is so unstable. I’m not anywhere near that area but try me on fb if your that nuts. She needs to report it to the authorities and media. I know my news station would air this story. Get it shut down. I know you got food poisoning there several times…🤔

  39. James I’ve been in this bar a number of times and never
    Had any problems always great food and service. As long as it’s open I’ll keep going because I’ve met some great people there and friends. The owner even went out of their own way to take care of me .

  41. He is also a racist! My friend left a bad review and the owner left a response calling my friend a n*****!

  43. Its not even his liqour license, he had to put it in someone elses name….hes the ownet of fastbacks but again has to have it in a different persons name because hes such a fuck up and not allowed to have a place like this, lying about how much he made when he did the taxes…we all know he broke that poor womans windows bet he didnt expect the backlash though, hes gonna get what he deserves.

  45. The bar is a front.
    He is a felon and the bar is his.
    The bar is in his wifes name michele
    The liquor license is in another mans name.whom they fucked over and wont even let him in the bar.he was a 1/3 partner
    Chuck michelle and dude.
    They run after hours out the basement.
    They only book bands to use as a front to sell dope.
    Look him up .thd city hates this dick.
    Hes had after hour spots forever. .and the city keeps shuttin him down
    His brother in law is a cpd officer who alwsys keeps him clear of bust .
    The feds need to do there homework on this dude .he takes all the cash out register ever hour to claim no profit to duck taxes.
    He fills his bottles with cheap liquor .and waters it down.
    His food is old and gas people go to food banks and he buys it from them.
    This dude is a joke .he has fucked every person he has ever talked to.
    Tge guy who owns the liquor license hasnt never stept foot in the bar..tgey booted him from day one.
    And chuck always has a gun in his office and or in his pocket small automatic.
    They have assulted many customers.
    How this dude and his wife are not in jail amaze me . brookpark police use it as there biker club house.
    Look into the paperwork on thag bar .how does a felon make profit from liquor. .
    Someone has dropped the ball on this place.
    He has called blacks every name in the book.
    Ford employees wont step foot in that bar
    Hes been on every social media with racial comments from opening .
    At one time tgere was a sign tgat said no rap music on juke box and no blacks .
    Seriously how can this happen in brookpark

  46. There has been several bar tenders that he sexually assulted. And forced to have sex to keep there jobs.
    He has been known to drug the woman so that he can take advantage of them .
    His southern ohio property he ran raves from multiple people claimed druging and rape .and several actually died from overdose..looks closely at this dude .
    Theres rumors hes a fed infomant..he sets people up and feeds tgem to the wolves.

  48. I was the guy originally asked to get the liquor license with them and be “1/3 partner”. The bar was originally going to be called the Blue Collar and cater to the Ford employees next door. Once I heard all his formulas on how to take cheap vodka and make it taste just like Grey Goose, I knew there was something up with this guy. All it took was a background check and I knew it would be a mistake. Chuck and his wife both have criminal records. The felon by law cannot be behind the bar serving anyone.

  49. Yes, everything is in his wife’s name because he can’t get a liquor licence because he has been charged with a felony, (what a surprise) and I heard his brother is a Cleveland cop so he just keeps getting to operate after hours illigally and threaten people with no consequences. Hopefully it will catch up to him now.

  50. I was getting about 15 posts a day from their fb site (there’s a such thing as trying too hard?!) and hadn’t even gotten to go there yet, and this is pretty much the first I’ve heard of them. Nice, geez.

  51. I’m originally from Chicago. If this were about a Chicago dust-up…

    * Reviewer pisses off bar owner with shitty review.

    * Bar owner threatens reviewer, and damages her property.

    * Reviewer hires muscle to beat the living shit out of bar owner.

    *Or maybe torch his place. Or shoot it up. Or, if pissed enough, knock him off.

    But we’re not in Chicago, are we? Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing? Your call.

    Just sayin’.

    Remember Sean Connery in the Untouchables in the late Eighties?

    “They put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue…it’s the Chicago way.”

    What is the Cleveland way? Duking it out on Scene?

    This asshole needs to be taken to school and dealt with…severely.

    Chuckles the Clown

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