I recently wrote an article about being 21 and denied from the Villanova bars with my real, state issued ID. This experience baffled me, and led me to inquire into the level professionalism (or lack thereof) of the mainline bars, with an emphasis on proper and standard procedure on checking these IDs. I closed this article with an expression of disappointment, and a hope that some of these venues would come to their senses.
Now, I am rarely one to be repetitive. However, since my last article concerning this subject went live, I have been the unfortunate receiver of similar disrespect from other bars in the area. Not only is this the case in my personal experience, but also others are having issues with this as well. I think that I speak for a number of people when I say we are frustrated and disillusioned with the incompetency of most of these Main Line Bars and their night time staff.
To go into detail about my most recent experience, it took place at Kelly's. I am sad to say that this experience was actually worst than my last. It involved a cursory glance followed by an immediate confiscation of my real, 21-year-old, state issued ID by the bouncers at the front door. No questions, no explanation, no respect. My drivers license was shoved into the bouncers pocket and I was ignored and told to get out.
As you can imagine, I was furious. The obvious next move was to go to the police, who were sitting right across the street as they always are on these nights. I talked to an officer who looked up my information and escorted me back to the entrance to get my ID. However, the headstrong bouncer still told me that I would not be allowed into the bar because he still "didn't feel comfortable." Right.
Like I said before, I am aware that I'm not alone in these types of situations. Other students have been treated in a similar way at the same places, which is all the more reason to point out that there's something very wrong about the way these places are being run. First of all, it's extremely evident that the doormen/bouncers ARE NOT properly trained. In my last article I mentioned that I have experience in a fine dining atmosphere and a high capacity night club where checking ID is of the utmost importance. I know and follow standard procedure for this process, and I can tell you that these places ARE NOT doing the same. They ARE NOT asking questions, they ARE NOT looking at the IDs long enough, they ARE letting in underage students, and they ARE turning away legal ones. And just a note about professionalism---the Main Line Bars need to know that just because they don't take us seriously doesn't mean that we don't value it.
As Villanova students, we struggle to consistently find a good time. That being said, when you're 21, it's supposed to get more fun. This is specifically because you have a guarantee that there will be a space in which you can do so. However, as myself and many others have discovered, this is not the case. These bars are both making people angry, and they are losing business as more and more students consider trips to Philadelphia and Manayunk as an alternative for nightlife. I have seen posts on student web pages promoting a "boycott of the bars" and heard other stories that are congruent with my experience.
The most depressing part about this is that it's really not much to ask, but they've failed to do it. We, the students, are the livelihood of these bar owners and their staff, yet they can't even perform simple tasks. When we go out we want to have a good time, not deal with this kind of bullshit. I need my driver's license for a lot of things, and if you actually knew what you were doing, you wouldn't have taken it, let alone me having to get the police involved to get it back.
Once again, get it together.
