In Case You Missed It: When The Bad Guy Walks Into The Bar

Restaurants and bars have always had the right to refuse service to any patron they deemed unfit. As we all learned in the immortal Fast Times at Ridgemont High, even the smooth, tanned chest of Jeff Spiccoli couldn’t sway the watchful eyes of Brad Hamilton and the ironclad “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Dice” policy at All American Burger. Though a private venue does have a say in who they can invite to events, the appearance of one Harvey Weinstein at Downtime Bar’s recent show supporting up and coming artists makes us wonder: what is the responsibility of bar and restaurant owners when it comes to their door policy? Let’s Discuss!

Downtime Bar is a place that lists its bottle selection out on its web site and shows pictures of DJ’s, partying patrons, and a graffiti covered mailbox which we’re guessing is where they tell most of their shady clientele to send RSVPs too. In short, it’s trapped in the year 2000. So the idea that Downtime Bar was the type of place Weinstein dared to show his head really isn’t that surprising. You can just imagine him and his “people” glancing over the bar’s website saying, “YES! This is just the place to make a casual public appearance for a guy who has pled not guilty to a variety of criminal charges.

But is it the responsibility of Downtime Bar to cross reference all guest lists, especially when its owners have rented out the space to someone else? Is it possible that no one on staff knew he was coming or thought to ask to see the guest list? It would be creepy enough if Weinstein just showed up to party here, but the fact that he attended Actors Hour, an event billed as “the only speakeasy in New York exclusively designed for artists to indulge in the joy of performance,” was downright disturbing. Plus, there was a table reserved for his party and anyone who has ever requested a VIP table absolutely has their personal information transferred to a venue’s staff. As reports indicate Weinstein was invited by the producer of Actors Hour, and had attended at least one other previous show, the bar’s role has changed from “Why did you invite him” to “Why didn’t you escort him out”?

Should restaurants and bars reserve the right to throw out controversial guests? Photo: Zoe Stuckless

Reports from the event indicate that while Weinstein was confronted by several attendees, he and his party were not asked to leave by management, were not asked to leave by producers from Actors Hour, and were not escorted out although those attendees that addressed him directly were. Downtime Bar released a statement claiming they don’t look into guest lists when outside producers host events and are pleading ignorance. But the bar is currently being monitored by Yelp’s team for an onslaught of one star reviews, it’s doubtful Actors Hour will host future events there let alone any place else, and we are left wondering how this story reflects on the bar and hospitality industry, not to mention the guests who tried to silence those who spoke out.

What should restaurants, bars, or any venue do when the bad guy walks in?