When you go out to the bar to have a few drinks, we don’t often think of the forces that could potentially kick you out.
Bouncers have been instituted in bars across the country to stand at the doors and check I.D. and either let you in or deny access.
Tim Cording, owner of Carey’s Bar and Grill, on Oxford St. across from Fanshawe College says that he hired a professional security company to batten down the hatches at the front door, “It’s a licensed security company and we met with them and their staff. They go through a full training process.”
“The fact that they are licensed, they’re dressed in their security uniform, and they’re the first people you see at the door helps keep our reputation strong,” says Cording. “We need that kind of personality as well, that’s most important. Someone who can shake hands, and get to know the guests and get to know the staff makes everyone feel comfortable.”
A YouTube video was posted on January 1st, 2016 of a number of security guards dealing with sloshed students at the Belfort (previously known as The Gatsby Sound House & Bar). The video has boasted almost three million views so far. Jesse Peters, bouncer at the Roxbury Bar and Grill, helped co-edit the video and says that it gives a look into what bouncers have to deal with on an everyday basis, “It really gives an inside look into what being a bouncer is all about. Peter Williams and I never thought that the video would blow up to what it has become.”
“You need to be calm and collective. There are some bouncers out there who get a little too ‘hot-headed’ and nobody likes those guys. You have to be a social butterfly and not just stand there. We are there for everyone’s enjoyment and safety in the end,” says Peters.
He also adds that if you do decide to go out to the bar, just be respectful and follow their wishes. He notes that he doesn’t want to see you in the back of an ambulance or a police car.
