Got thrown out of a pub for not drinking!

Potential-Monke

I'd be looking into bringing a case against the bar, you're being the designated driver so why should you drink? It's rediculous really! There was no reason to throw you out, you're doing them a favour by bringing people to his premesis to drink!

seanabc

I'd be looking into bringing a case against the bar, you're being the designated driver so why should you drink? It's rediculous really! There was no reason to throw you out, you're doing them a favour by bringing people to his premesis to drink!

I don't think there'd be much of a case. The barman wasn't forcing him to drink alchohol. Since he was the designated driver it'd have been no harm for his friends to chip in and get him a few minerals and juices to pass the night.

Stabshauptmann

You were given plenty of chances. While I think it rude, I do agree that you should have to buy at least a soft drink.

I was in a guest house during the summer that had this big DvD room. My friends and I were in there for 30mins watching some movie or other when the manager comes in from the bar and asks us do we want a drink (3pm), we all decline and are told to order something or leave. I order a beef burger, which was on the menue, 10mins later she says shes no beef, would I like a toasted cheese sandwich. No thanks. Get out.

Next day Im using my laptop to pick up the free wireless advertised, same story, buy either food/drink or go back to your room (which had no signal).

Now, the difference is, I think since I was paying for accomadation there I should be allowed use the facilities advertised

Stabshauptmann

johnp wrote: »

That is a disgrace.

Getting someone to be a designated driver is bloody hard, though!
Still, there should be some sort of Govt incentive to either the publican or soft drink company to get it going.
Or even a good will gesture from the soft drink co or Diageo or the like. Granted they don't have to, but they'll willing to sponsor TV ads and the like, so why not sponsor free colas!

and what burden of proof will we put on people to prove they're the DD?

I remember a few years ago when there were free finches in my local I switched from whiskey-coke to vodka-orange. And I wasnt the only one.

seanabc

Now, the difference is, I think since I was paying for accomadation there I should be allowed use the facilities advertised

That's definitely a different situation. Similarly if the OP had paid at the door there shouldn't be the same expectation that he would spend more money while he was there.

Cheeky_gal

Procasinator wrote: »

You disgust me!

I second this...

OP! You're weird...

the GALL

My ol'man owned a pub in dub in walks this guy one day asking was their entertainment on that evening sure said the awl fella so yer man asked would it be alright if he brought some friends down to see the gig no worries said the awl man the more the merrier the gig starts a 9.30 .......9.25 in walk 40 spanyards i think they were students now the pub would barly hold 40 regulars never mind the extras and these guys are sitting there not even drinkin water well i was sittin at the bar in stitches laughing the band was trying to set up and you couldn't here yerself think with the noise of them ....so the awl man says you'll have to buy a drink ya know yerself He may have sold two pints and the rest soft drink well that put him in his place they were spending so they had a right to be sittin.... until one of the locals started to talking to the students??? and found out some of them were under age (17 year olds) so then there mentor brought up the if their spendin their sitting arguement....fair enough says the old man if thats the way you want it 'no kids on the premesis after six'......laughed I nearly pi**ed meself

the GALL

:My ol'man owned a pub in dub in walks this guy one day asking was their entertainment on that evening sure said the awl fella so yer man asked would it be alright if he brought some friends down to see the gig no worries said the awl man the more the merrier the gig starts a 9.30 .......9.25 in walk 40 spanyards i think they were students now the pub would barly hold 40 regulars never mind the extras and these guys are sitting there not even drinkin water well i was sittin at the bar in stitches laughing the band was trying to set up and you couldn't here yerself think with the noise of them ....so the awl man says you'll have to buy a drink ya know yerself He may have sold two pints and the rest soft drink well that put him in his place they were spending so they had a right to be sittin.... until one of the locals started to talking to the students??? and found out some of them were under age (17 year olds) so then there mentor brought up the if their spendin their sitting arguement....fair enough says the old man if thats the way you want it 'no kids on the premesis after six'......laughed I nearly pi**ed meself::

stepbar

Just my 2 cents. To think a bouncer would throw anyone out of a pub for not drinking (when amoungst friends who are) is a disgrace. If I was a friend of the OP I would have walked out in protest. :mad:

arybvtcw0eolkf

I'll be honest about it..

I've thrown people out of bar's for not drinking. Usually its Italians & Spanish students.

As for the OP, unless there's another side to this story which he's not saying I think the barman/manager over reacted slightly.

the GALL

My ol'man owned a pub in dub in walks this guy one day asking was their entertainment on that evening sure said the awl fella so yer man asked would it be alright if he brought some friends down to see the gig no worries said the awl man the more the merrier the gig starts a 9.30 .......9.25 in walk 40 spanyards i think they were students now the pub would barly hold 40 regulars never mind the extras and these guys are sitting there not even drinkin water well i was sittin at the bar in stitches laughing the band was trying to set up and you couldn't here yerself think with the noise of them ....so the awl man says you'll have to buy a drink ya know yerself He may have sold two pints and the rest soft drink well that put him in his place they were spending so they had a right to be sittin.... until one of the locals started to talking to the students??? and found out some of them were under age (17 year olds) so then there mentor brought up the if their spendin their sitting arguement....fair enough says the old man if thats the way you want it 'no kids on the premesis after six'......laughed I nearly pi**ed meself

Capt'n Midnight

How much does the publican take out of the price of a pint ?

I don't buy fizzy drinks in pubs anymore because of the extortionate price they charge. Cordial instead , and it's always watered down.

Bet yer man will be bitching about the loss of business when the alcohol limit drops from .8 to .5 next year.

OP did you tell him that you were with a group ?

You could ask him for a glass of tap water. unless the law has changed recently they have to provide you with one.

ian_m

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

You could ask him for a glass of tap water. unless the law has changed recently they have to provide you with one.

It hasn't. Nor has the right to refuse admission.

l3LoWnA

Deleted User wrote: »

Interesting to see people's opinions, I looked at it from a business point of view, he actually lost money by kicking us out to be honest.

I'm sure there were other punters only willing to take your place AND actually buy something! Staff have to be paid and all overheads too, and your bum is taking up a seat that can EASILY be replaced with a more valuable bum (as can all of your friends bums so how on earth did this guy lose money?!) Most decent people, designated driver or not, will buy a couple of drinks when they decide to sit in a pub for a night, albeit soft drinks or water or whatever. You don't go into a newsagents and read every newspaper and magazine in the store without buying one (actually, maybe you do! :rolleyes: ), why should a publican let a person enjoy being on his premises for a night without buying at least one drink all night? Just because you're driving your friends home by choice doesn't mean the publican should be on his knees thanking you for bringing these fine punters his way and bringing them home safely afterwards.

One year ago, I would've even gotten 3 free cokes for being a designated driver, this year, not only can you not be a designated driver on the cheap, you have to actually pay to do so.

Oh boohooo - if you have no money, just stay at home, dont go out with your friends in future, under the guise of being the helpful designated driver just because you're too tight to buy a few rounds.

You are not paying to be the designated driver. You are paying to be entertained in a premises which costs money to run.

Capt'n Midnight

On the RTE news just now it said that the duty on alcohol hasn't gone up in 6 years.
But the publicans still want the tax take reduced.

Just to answer a few of the questions asked.

Yes i told him I was with a group, I even pointed them out to him (the place was jammed, they were standing about 8/9 feet in front of me, with a couple of people between us.

When he asked me the second time did I want a drink, it was very much as someone described earlier. (the "real drink" story), as in, If I was gonna bother asking for a soft drink, I'd be better off heading out to centra and drinking it on the street.

There's nothing I'm not telling, to be honest, I just thought it was a quirky story and just wanted to see what others thought about it.

My friends noted that as they came to the end of their drinks, the guy would regularly appear and ask them (very suggestively) if they wanted another drink. Apparently he used the same tone as when he was asking me.

I work in retail and get very pissed off with unruly customers, so I decided to do what I always hope a customer would do, I just kept calm and just left, laughed it off to be honest. I knew I was going to get nowhere with the guy so just decided to call it a day.

It was pretty late on a saturday night, and it would've been impossible to try and get 11 of us into another bar before they stopped serving, and to be honest, the music in the bar was excellent, and I didn't want my friends to leave, they offered, but I told them to stay.

Stabshauptmann

you're a good chap. tbh, with so many bars to choose from it shouldnt be hard to pick somewhere else next night.

speaktofrank

I worked in a bar last year, quite a well known one too. Anyway we have trad music on during the week for tourists etc, so one evening working away, a group of 10 Swedes come in and start clapping and dancing away to the music, fair enough say you, anyway after 15 minutes they were still there so one of us asked them if they wanted a drink. 'No' I can tell you they were told in no uncertain terms where to go.

By the way if I had been working the OP wouldn't have been kicked out. His mates were drinking more than enough. As he said the pub probably lost business. I would have had no problem with those damn Swedes if even half of them had bought a drink...but not one of them did, even when it was spelt out for them. Fcukers

source

speaktofrank wrote: »

I worked in a bar last year, quite a well known one too. Anyway we have trad music on during the week for tourists etc, so one evening working away, a group of 10 Swedes come in and start clapping and dancing away to the music, fair enough say you, anyway after 15 minutes they were still there so one of us asked them if they wanted a drink. 'No' I can tell you they were told in no uncertain terms where to go.

By the way if I had been working the OP wouldn't have been kicked out. His mates were drinking more than enough. As he said the pub probably lost business. I would have had no problem with those damn Swedes if even half of them had bought a drink...but not one of them did, even when it was spelt out for them. Fcukers

Exactly, if there's a big group and nobody is drinking, then out on their ear, but i really don't see the point in throwing 1 person out because he is not drinking, especially when he is in a large group and especially when the bar is packed. if he was the only one in there i could understand, but come on.

What this barman needs is a good shock and here is what i propose......get as many of your mates as possible to go the his establishment, and have a good laugh, if he asks you to leave for not drinking, just say right so and you and your pub load of friends stroll out the door.......barman's jaw should appropriately hit the floor at this point, and would prob teach him to treat people with a bit more respect.

monosharp

Can't believe the responses to the OP.

This just shows in its simplest form the mentality of Irish people these days, i.e > All they care about is money money money.

Its disgusting. Pure American culture, like a bloody cancer.

l3LoWnA

monosharp wrote: »

Can't believe the responses to the OP.

This just shows in its simplest form the mentality of Irish people these days, i.e > All they care about is money money money.

Its disgusting. Pure American culture, like a bloody cancer.

I responded mentioning business etc and money as the OP was trying to say the pub owner was loosing out y turfing him out!

To be honest, I'm dead Irish and I'm all for manners, manners, manners.....you don't go into a premises and enjoy their service and NOT spend money, regardless of whether you're driving or not. It's rude!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

rofl

if the barman kicked him out of his own house, you might have a point there... you have no right to be in a public house, they let you in and they decide when you leave.

2 stroke

I think it's time for designated drivers to decide which pubs to ferry their mates to and from.

squibs

That's just stupid, your friends loading up on snacks and driving isn't illegal, or likely to cause a death on the road, however, the Gov't the VFI and almost anybody worth calling human is against drink driving these days, so the very idea of Designated Driver is a life saving tool, which eases the burden on taxi companies.....if there is a designated driver in a group that group is less likely to hang around outside a licensed premises and get into an argument at closing time so it makes things easier for the bouncers and the gardai.

So the bar owner should pay for the designated driver? A freeloader is ok if there are lives being saved? I'm bringing my mate, a medic with the red cross, to the cinema next time then. Somebody could choke on a sweet, so he's providing a valuable service in exchange for getting in free and getting a large coke, popcorn and bag of toffees.

This is the real world mate - the bar owner is a businessman and perfectly within his rights to demand that all patrons buy a drink. At the end of the day it's not his job to subsidise people who are happy to pay to pour beer down their necks all night but too cheap to pay for a taxi. If these people want a designated driver THEY should pay for for the OP's drinks .

Gulliver

l3LoWnA wrote: »

Oh boohooo - if you have no money, just stay at home, dont go out with your friends in future, under the guise of being the helpful designated driver just because you're too tight to buy a few rounds.

You are not paying to be the designated driver. You are paying to be entertained in a premises which costs money to run.

As I said before, I have no problem with buying drinks/rounds etc, I never try and pull the "I'm the DD so I'm not buying a round" crap.

However, I don't think you have a very good view of designated drivers. I think that some consideration should be given to the DD. After all, petrol ain't free either.

Wood

Come on, you wouldn't walk into a restaurant with your mates, take a seat and say no thanks in the designated bulimic, i won't be eating anything. So why should it be any different in a bar.

It is a business after all, so complain about the prices instead!

joe_chicken

squibs wrote: »

I'm bringing my mate, a medic with the red cross, to the cinema next time then. Somebody could choke on a sweet, so he's providing a valuable service in exchange for getting in free and getting a large coke, popcorn and bag of toffees.

Last time I checked, choking on sweets in the cinema wasn't an epidemic...

Stop making bad comparisons, this is "the real world".

If someone is with a group of 9 other people and not drinking, he shouldn't be thrown out... end of story. Sure the barman was within his rights, but I think 99% of barmen in the country wouldn't throw someone like that out.

L31mr0d

My Dad works with a guy that likes to have a pint before work in the morning (the guy is his labourer) He knows a few lock in pubs around Dublin that open fairly early, but my Dad says he can't actually go in with him as they won't let you drink anything but alchohol. He went in the first time and asked for a coffee and was told to leave.

I can understand kicking someone out for not purchasing anything, but kicking someone out for not purchasing alchohol, especially in an establishment that serves other drinks that aren't alchoholic.

If you seen Death Proof, you'll know, some people like to go to bars and not drink, you need to stay sober when you are scopeing out women to kill with your death proof car

laughin'joe

you should have atleast bought a soft drink and at the end of the day he was right to throw you out after all he has a business to run..even if they are robbing people it's still a business. You should have just ordered even a water for fu*k sake.......I say you still ahve your communion money

Deleted User wrote: »

Just seeing if anyone has had any similar experiences? I've never been removed from a premises in my life before, but on Saturday night, myself, the girlfriend and a couple of friends went to see some live music in a pub in town.

I was designated driver for the night, and the lads were ripping through the pints in the place. My girlfriend doesn't drink, so that was nothing new.

Anyway, after about 20 minutes in the place a barman comes out to me and asks would I like a drink. I said I'm alright thanks, and his reply, kind of sharp was "are ya not old enough to be drinking then?". I responded that I was, and showed him my ID aswell.

Literally 5 minutes later, same guy (think he may have been the manager of the pub actually) comes over, "Do you want a drink?", again, "no I'm alright thanks, I'm driving tonight". He wasn't a happy camper and wandered off.

Another 10/15 minutes later he just storms over to us, and told myself and the girlfriend to get out. "I could fill the place with people like you's if I wanted" "Pair of yee are a waste of space" etc...

I actually found it quite funny to be honest, but in another situation I would've been incredibly pissed off.

Anyone got any similar stories? Or thoughts?

arybvtcw0eolkf

2 stroke wrote: »

I think it's time for designated drivers to decide which pubs to ferry their mates to and from.

I think this thread show's the stupidity of the drink drive ban.

Sure a few pints only makes driving more fun