During recent visits to New Line Tavern and Lowcountry, signs explaining the code that employees said were up in a place only women would see them - for example, the women’s bathroom - were not visible. “We want to create a safe environment,” he said.Įven if bartenders are trained to respond to a coded cocktail, the solution becomes moot if customers are not informed. “This is something that you learn from experience, how to protect your customers and make sure that they are safe,” he said.Īt Lakeview’s Lowcountry, owner Pan Hompluem said the bar has its own cocktail that can be ordered if someone needs help. No one has asked Johnston for an angel shot, he said, but he’s had people request help and walked others outside. “The idea behind it was if you’re on a Tinder date and it’s not going well - you’re uncomfortable, they’re treating you poorly - then you can come up and say, ‘Can I get an angel shot?’” said New Line Tavern bartender Scott Johnston. In the Fulton River District, New Line Tavern bartenders keep a sign in the women’s bathroom that explains: An “angel shot with ice” means a bartender will call an Uber or Lyft, for example, and an “angel shot with lime” tells the bartender to call the police. Many are aware, for example, of “angel shots,” known internationally as a coded order for customers who need help. The group’s training sessions walk through what might constitute harassment and how to respond.Īlready, it’s a familiar topic for bartenders. Good Night Out aims to help bars and music venues develop policies to protect patrons. Helping customers feel “super safe” is a priority, she said. “If someone’s coming over and asking for your help, you need to stop what you’re doing,” said Empty Bottle bartender Madison Moore. In a situation that seems potentially dangerous, most bartenders said the best and first step is to throw the offending patron out, usually with the help of bouncers. If someone feels unsafe and wants to leave, a bartender also will offer to call a ride-share service and walk that person out to the ride. Mossell is one of the co-founders of Chicago’s chapter of Good Night Out, an international movement that offers training on how to handle sexual harassment and assault in bars and clubs and at festivals.īartenders said protecting customers is a priority and that although they can’t keep an eye on every customer at all times, responding when a patron feels unsafe is a key part of the job.īesides kicking a person out, bartenders will respond by giving the offending patron the bill or by placing the next drink somewhere else on the bar, away from the person being harassed. “Oh, my God, I’m safe here,” she remembers thinking. She told a bartender, and the man was kicked out. Meghann Mossell remembers when a man kept grabbing her butt at Ukrainian Village bar Empty Bottle. Many women say they’ve dealt with unwanted, persistent attention at bars, including being groped on a barstool or on the dance floor. Swiftly, and quietly, if possible.īut how should bartenders handle a harassment situation that leaves a patron feeling unsafe? Kicking the offending customer out, bartenders agree, is the best action to take when he or she is harassing another patron.
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