"Just say No!" to rude Bouncers
I really think that the days of douchenozzle bouncers is over. Or should be. Last night I was out in the Mission with some friends and patronized a few bars. The door guys at 500 Club, Doc’s and Bender’s were all their laid back, cool Mission hipster selves but the guy at Laszlo’s was totally out of place.
A friend told us to meet him at Laszlo’s but to go in through the Foreign Cinema door, so we did. As we were walking down the hall the bouncer came running after us (in his dress pants and white running shoes no less) and started yelling at us about going the wrong way. We complied and went back the way we came in and then proceeded to go in the Laszlo door. He stopped us and said we had to pay a $5 cover. It was 1:30AM and we were flabbergasted. All we wanted to do was say hi to someone and leave and we explained this to him. He was really rude and pretty much turned his back on us. There was no way after that we were going to patronize a business that wants to be represented by someone with a bad attitude.
Why is it that some bouncers think it’s necessary to act like a complete ass to people that aren’t causing any trouble? I thought they were there to keep out the riffraff and to manage any issues that arise with unsavory types. I’m not saying that he should have waived the cover charge, I’m just saying that we were not purposefully causing any trouble, and there was no need for him to be a jerk. Due to that experience at least 4 people will never return to Laszlo’s again and maybe others that read Yelp reviews like my buddy Andrei’s and will choose to not go there.
Your experience at a bar starts with the doorman and if they are total jerks then why bother going if there are a lot of other choices, especially in the Mission.
So the bouncer was "being a total jerk" for doing his job?
First you tried to avoid the cover by going in the back way. It’s the bouncer’s JOB to collect the cover for the venue or promoter. In performing his job he insisted that you go in the proper door and pay the cover that the venue or promoter, not he, wished you to pay.
Second, you used the OLDEST line in the book, "I’m just going in to say hi to my friends. I’m not staying." Believe me, every bouncer in the city hears this just about every night. There’s usually only one security person, the bouncer, and the scammer knows that once they get inside there’s no way for the bouncer to leave his post, track the person down, and either ask them to leave or pay the cover.
So after you tried to sneak your way in and then scam your way in he turned his back on you. I wonder why…
Not only do I totally agree with randomsf and may I point out that since it was 1:30am and you had already "patronized a few bars" it is highly likely that you & your friends were….impaired. So who should I believe, the sober guy who was doing his job or the Drunkster?
Sorry, but I have to agree with randomsf and larochelle on this one. Managing riffraff is not the bouncer’s only job. He’s also responsible for collecting the cover charge. He may not be empowered to waive the cover charge no matter how late in the evening. He’s certainly not going to risk his job for it. And since you were trying to sneak in without paying, you were the riffraff.
Hey everyone,
I can see the points you are making. I may have been over lubricated. That being said, in my lubricated state I honestly wasn’t trying to sneak in, I just thought it ridiculous to pay a cover charge when the club was closing in 30 minutes and there was no need for the bouncer to be rude.
Thanks!
Tara