Got thrown out of a pub for not drinking!

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?

Dave!

Did you pay into the place?

If not then you gotta sympathise with the manager/owner -- you come in and watch the music for free, and don't even get a coke! They still have to pay the musicians.

dade

so ya sat there and bought nothing, not even a soft drink? no wonder he turfed ya out

think of it from this perspective first,

I was with a group of 9 people drinking, that would be two trips in the car.

By kicking me out, he cost himself €45+ as everyone there would have to have at least one drink less because they'd have to pay for a taxi..

I explained this to him, and he was having none of it...

Cathmandooo

Yeah I can understand him turfing you out if you bought nothing. He could put people in your seats who would easily put €50 into the tils - It's not a charity place

robinph

If you were not buying any form of drink from him then fair enough for them turfing you out.

Procasinator

You disgust me!

Actually this happened to me before. I was at a pub with this girl I was seeing at the time as we were going to watch my sister do a gig there. The barman comes over after a while (maybe 20 minutes, tops) and asks us if we were drinking. I told him that we weren't, that we were just waiting to watch my sister do her gig, but he said that it didn't matter, I was to either buy a drink or get out.

Completely ignorant, really.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

heh, this thread kinda backfired didn't it OP

arybvtcw0eolkf

Pity the barman wasn't Phil Mitchel (or worse still, Grant).. They'd have kicked your head in, and rightly so.

Gulliver

I don't drink alcohol and I always buy a soft drink in a pub, even to the point of feeling queasy with all the sugar water:(. It's just more... I dunno... social:D.

That said, he was a bit rude in his methods. Surely he realises that you could possibly influence your drinking friends into avoiding the place.

neil_hosey

****in germans!

johnp

I'm with the rest of these guys. If you didn't buy anything (don't think you mentioned it), why shouldn't he throw you out. You're being entertained, and he's gotta pay fot that entertainment somehow.

btw, good on ya for been the designated driver.

haha, believe me, I'm not a non-drinker. I was just designated driver that night.

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.

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.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Deleted User wrote: »

haha, believe me, I'm not a non-drinker. I was just designated driver that night.

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.

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.

Are you not banned yet?..

Mods, party pooper in the house!.

Cathmandooo

Gulliver wrote: »

I don't drink alcohol and I always buy a soft drink in a pub, even to the point of feeling queasy with all the sugar water:(. It's just more... I dunno... social:D.

It is social, I hate sitting in the pub with someone who is drinking nothing, you always feel like theyre waiting for you to finish up so ye can go. I'd much rather get a taxi.

Xavi6

Fair play to the barman. Ya scabby f*cker! Why not just spend the €3 on a coke or an orange and leave it sittin there? He couldn't have said sh*t then.

Cathmandooo

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.

He wouldnt actually lose money, I've never once thought that I cant have one more drink just cos I'm getting a taxi home!

aidan_walsh

Deleted User wrote:

he actually lost money by kicking us out to be honest.

Hardly. I have no doubt that there were 9 other people who took up the space quite willingly.

Deleted User wrote:

One year ago, I would've even gotten 3 free cokes for being a designated driver

I'm pretty sure that's a limited time promotion that Coca Cola run.

Now as was said, fair play for being the designated driver. But the man still has a business to run as well.

johnp

Deleted User wrote: »

haha, believe me, I'm not a non-drinker. I was just designated driver that night.

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.

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.

Depends on if your mates budget the night out that well. I know I don't

I dunno if it's the barmans fault that it's not a cheap night out for you. There should be some incentive for designated drivers. Or is there?

Silverfish

I'm with the OP on this one.

So much for the 'designated driver' scheme. It happened me once before, years ago, I'd bought a coke and sat there most of the night with it, while my friends were all drinking, eventually the manager asked me to leave since I wasn't a 'paying customer'.

So me and my 5 friends I was driving for, and about 12 others who were with us, got up to leave. When he saw all the people who were leaving with me, he soon changed his mind, trying to claim he was 'only joking' even though he had to hand me back my coat, which he'd grabbed in the process.

He couldn't really have 'replaced you' with drinkers, anyone who wanted to be there that night probably was, so it's not like he could throw you out and then stand on the street and say 'That's two out, space for two more in here, people!'

If he wants to recoup his losses for live music etc, then charge in, - not allow entrance then throw people out.

Morlar

You know what I blame this on the breakdown of? Society.
Moe Syzlak

Seriously though I would have bought a water or something it'd be rude to go into a bar sit there and not buy a single thing, water - orange juice or coke or whatever.

Beetlebum

If you didn't buy a sinlge drink, even a soft drink for yourself or a pint for one of your friends then you really are just taking up a seat in his establishment, a seat that could be filled by a booze hound who'd fill his till with money. He had every right to ask you to leave but probably could've been a little nicer about it.

Alessandra

Could you not have bought a soft drink? I mean if the bar is providing live entertainment its not on a charitable basis. They have to make their money. Just cos your friends were spending a fortune doesn't mean you can get away without buying a thing! I havae kicked people out of bars i've worked in for not drinking before, it really annoys me.

johnp

johnp wrote: »

Depends on if your mates budget the night out that well. I know I don't

I dunno if it's the barmans fault that it's not a cheap night out for you. There should be some incentive for designated drivers. Or is there?

There's not, which is the god awful thing about this country. They keep going on and on about people being killed in drink-driving accidents and it seems they do nothing to try and prevent this, bar those horrific advertisements. There has to be some sort of lure to get people to be a designated driver. Maybe it could be cheaper for the DD to get into clubs cheaper, or an active soft-drink campaign like the one coca-cola did previously.

Gulliver

Deleted User wrote: »

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.

That designated driver idea was never popular to the North-West (well, my little area)

e.g.
"Two buds, a vodka & coke and I'm the designated driver, can I get the free coke?"

I might as well have said
"Two buds, a vodka & coke and I'm the designated driver, can I get a glass of rabbit fetuses with a dash of blackcurrant?"

Ger_Hankey

AFAIK, quite a few pubs are doing the free drinks for designated drivers thing over christmas. In fairness though, if you were in his pub not paying any money he had every right to tell you to buy a drink or leave. Its not like he lets the Taxi Drivers sit inside waiting for a fare, is it?

If you paid a cover charge, then that would be a whole different story.

leninbenjamin

what happened the designated driver policy? what the publican did was ridiculous... name and shame if it were me.

when i worked in the pub about a year ago the staff were ****ed out of it before because of not knowing some designated driver thing across the board. we were supposed to supply them with a few cokes or something similar (which publicans tend to get for half nothing anyway if they do enough trade in the alcoholic). it wasn't a promotion and we were of the understanding it wasn't voluntary either...

edit: it was a VFI thing. i'm pretty sure if the owner of the pub is a member they are obliged to adhere to it all year round.

ScumLord

I can see it from the barmans point of view but if he did that to me I'd kick up an awful stink about it, saying I'm the designated driver, I don't drink piss water it's booze or nothing, what would Joe duffy say if he heard you where forcing drink on designated drivers, are these 9 drinkers not enough for you. Then I'd throw a bar stool in over the bar and get thrown out on my face. Oh no wait I wasn't drinking was I? I'd probably just buy a water just to appease him.

Just did a little search there leninbenjamin, the pub in question is not part of the designated driver scheme.

For anyone who wants to know if a local is a particpant

http://www.ccbi.ie/des_driver/

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

since when do you have to pay for a water?

cornbb

Hell, I'm on the OP's side. There were a bunch of people with him quaffing down pints who might not have been there if they didn't have a designated driver. Shame on the publican for caring more about a few euros profit than about the OP's friends getting home safely, I'm sure the OP's presence in the pub didn't deter any other punters from coming in and spending money! The publican must have been eyeballing everyone in the pub to make sure everyone was drinking, pretty pathetic IMO.

Gulliver

Mordeth wrote: »

since when do you have to pay for a water?

Since you don't want a glass half-full of sheep urine and/or e-coli

JohnCleary

You didnt even buy a pack of Tayto or peanuts??

padi89

The place must be really sh!t or stuck for money OP if the barman has the time to observe what people are and are not drinking,go out and confront you,tell the manager etc.No work behind the bar obviously?????;)

aidan_walsh

Gulliver wrote: »

Since you don't want a glass half-full of sheep urine and/or e-coli

Unless of course thats a selling point of the bottled water "Natural minerals" and all that.

Mordeth

Mordeth wrote: »

since when do you have to pay for a water?

I was distinctly under the impression that people who asked for water were not permitted to stay...

and not like the coyote ugly way either...

eirebhoy

JohnCleary wrote: »

You didnt even buy a pack of Tayto or peanuts??

Wehay! A nice 40 cent for the barman.

A pub on O'Connell st have a bouncer on the stairs and you're not allowed up unless you buy a drink downstairs first. Too many people going up, watching the football and heading off.

deepack

I dont drink and either does my bf but when we go out we order maybe one soft drink then water after that cos you just feel too bloated and worse than a hang over the following day if you stay drinking soft drinks.

you still shouldnt have been kicked out though for not drinking its discrimination, but not worth fighting.
I work in a bar and if i ever saw anyone come in and not drinking its their choice as long as your not disturbing anyone you are entitled to be on the premises...then again the pub will also tell you they reserve to right to remove you from the premises bla bla bla

Its a loose loose situation

johnp

Deleted User wrote: »

There's not, which is the god awful thing about this country. They keep going on and on about people being killed in drink-driving accidents and it seems they do nothing to try and prevent this, bar those horrific advertisements. There has to be some sort of lure to get people to be a designated driver. Maybe it could be cheaper for the DD to get into clubs cheaper, or an active soft-drink campaign like the one coca-cola did previously.

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!

edanto

What pub was it?

johnp

deepack wrote: »

I dont drink and either does my bf but when we go out we order maybe one soft drink then water after that cos you just feel too bloated and worse than a hang over the following day if you stay drinking soft drinks.

you still shouldnt have been kicked out though for not drinking its discrimination, but not worth fighting.
I work in a bar and if i ever saw anyone come in and not drinking its their choice as long as your not disturbing anyone you are entitled to be on the premises...then again the pub will also tell you they reserve to right to remove you from the premises bla bla bla

Its a loose loose situation

I don't think it's discrimination.

Dave!

www.designateddriver.ie

Sizzler

Wouldnt have broke the bank to get a coke or OJ surely! If even to have something in your hand!

johnp

Sizzler wrote: »

Wouldnt have broke the bank to get a coke or OJ surely! If even to have something in your hand!

Or even the drinkers buying you the odd coke or OJ for you driving them home and saving the taxi fare

P_1

Have to agree, would have got myself a coke and nursed it all night if I was in that situation.

Mossy Monk

I would be ashamed to sit in a pub all night and not buy anything. For shame OP, for shame.

deepack

i was exaggerating a bit... but it was a bit unfair to kick them out for not drinking

pbug21

I would be ashamed too. What were ur mates at. Whenever I do designated driver they never let me put my hand in my pocket, always ask me when going to bar. Its only right. If they didnt id buy one myself. I would feel like a complete dickhead standing there with no drink.

skywalker

Deleted User wrote: »

haha, believe me, I'm not a non-drinker. I was just designated driver that night.

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.

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.

I only saw that 3 free cokes ad on a billboard the other day, so that scheme is still in operation. Ive always wondered how youd go about using it though.

Quality

YOu could have your naggin of vodka in your handbag, and when you get your free cokes you can use them as mixers.

I must post this up on bargain alerts!!