For me, this captures the takeaway from the whole thread. Anybody who is opening a bar, restaurant, or brewery today is flirting with disaster. There are so many things that can go wrong and competition is so stiff that you had better be on your game all the time. Regardless of whether you're a brewer or a baker, shouldn't your focus be on getting and keeping customers? If something goes wrong and you don't get the permits you need, or some equipment isn't ready, all you hard work might be for nothing. You could be dead right out of the gate. Same with protecting your recipes. Maybe you want to protect your magical hop blend, but is it worth alienating customers? So you have a bank payment or technical problems on your mind. We've all got troubles, but you're the one who decided to get into the service industry. It doesn't cost anything to be nice and you can respond to questions without revealing your secrets. Wouldn't it be better to get that home brewer to come back and bring a bunch of his friends because they feel welcome? Your carefully protected recipe isn't going to do you much good if there's nobody there to drink it.
I agree that you should be broad minded enough to give someone another chance. But, when we all have limited money to spend and limited time to spend it, that second chance is rewarding the guy who didn't get it right the first time at the expense of someone who did. Like the brewery that Hello is taking about. I went when they had their opening but none of their own beer. Went back when they were pouring their own and it wasn't very good. If I keep going back to see if they finally get it right, I'm penalizing the brewery down the street that is doing a good job, or the beer bar in the other direction that goes out of their way to take care of customers. Maybe you can get enough other forgiving souls to help you get past that, but is it worth the risk?