Management nightmare: Policed gender relations
Woe to the operator who okayed the customer rules and admittance policies for a new speakeasy-style place that opened recently in Chicago. Places of that sort often provide guidelines for the clientele, right down to what should or should not be discussed at the bar. One of the many neo-speakeasies in New York City, for instance, clearly stated that men weren’t allowed to buy a drink for a woman who caught their fancy unless the recipient agreed to take it.
Drumbar is similarly monitoring matters of romance, as a married and pregnant member of our staff recently discovered when she was considering it for a social outing with a female friend. She decided to go elsewhere because of her welcome being predicated on whether or not a man was with her.
Drumbar’s rules say that parties should have an equal number of men and women rather than a gender imbalance. Groups of same-sex friends or anyone harboring a hope of bumping into Ms. or Mr. Right can forget it. As the rules state: “It is recommended that guests arrive early and with their entire group, preferably of equal ratios.” And the doorman is charged with enforcing the balance rule, even if the party has a reservation.
Groups of men or women aren’t the only would-be customers whose welcome may be lukewarm, if not denied. What about same-sex couples?