"Lock ins" in pubs and nightclubs - legal or grey area?

hatrickpatrick

Just wondering how the system works with regard to "lock ins"?
I've always been curious how they get around the law. The name "lock in" implies that you can't leave until it's properly over, so is there some law that it's ok to let people stay after closing as long as they actually stay until the next morning? Or are they just sneakily ignoring the licensing regulations?

NOTE: I have nothing whatsoever against them, love them myself. Just curious as to how they get away with it under what I've always considered the most draconian licensing laws ever...

cloneslad

They lock the door to stop anyone outside from getting in. If they left the door open then the fine members of the law enforcement would know the place was still open and they would call in and have a pint themselves while on duty kick everyone out and bring the bar up to court for trading after hours.

User Friendly

they dont get away with it as you put it.

publicans will get prosecuted if found to have people drinking on their premises after closing time. publicans are not allowed to trade/take money after closing time. there is no grey area from what i see.

Savage Tyrant

Legal to give drink to someone after hours... Illegal to sell it.
For that reason most lock ins will involve taking the money but not ringing it into the tills until the following day.

JONJO THE MISER

piss off ya bastard

Savage Tyrant

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

piss off ya bastard

What?

Jimmy Garlic

pubs should be allowed to close whenever they like

User Friendly

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

piss off ya bastard

You're nice:rolleyes:

Savage Tyrant

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

pubs should be allowed to close whenever they like

Including Good Friday...

TheUsual

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

piss off ya bastard

hahahha

robinph

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Including Good Friday...

Yep.

R0ot

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Including Good Friday...

Yes! Also on Christmas Day.

Lock ins are illegal but are usually for the locals/garda that stay late.

Kimono-Girl

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Legal to give drink to someone after hours... Illegal to sell it.
For that reason most lock ins will involve taking the money but not ringing it into the tills until the following day.

really? when i went to a few lock in's in my drunker years in my favourate pub we never paid for drink, in fact some of the security and staff would sit down with the owner and us and have a few beers no money exchanged i think it was a perk of the job at the time because i heard they stopped it two years ago, the staff would also take some beers home with them if they were invited to a house party after work.

stovelid

I doubt it's not illegal to have a drink on premises after hours as in most places the staff have a few?

Vicxas

If the gardai catch you its fooked city, unless they're there for a drink themselves.... which is known to happen!

kaltz

Was getting a few late ones one sunday when the cops came in as one of the barmen was walking across the floor with a tray of pints. Quick as a flash he says "isn't it a shame what some people leave behind" turned on his heels and threw the pints down the sink. Whole place, cops and all, burst out laughing.

Savage Tyrant

I've been at lock ins where the Peelers arrived and took names and poured drink down the sink and charged the Bar owner.... But I've been at more where they turned up and said finish up, they'd be back in 30 mins to make sure we were all heading home.

Savage Tyrant

kaltz wrote: »

Was getting a few late ones one sunday when the cops came in as one of the barmen was walking across the floor with a tray of pints. Quick as a flash he says "isn't it a shame what some people leave behind" turned on his heels and threw the pints down the sink. Whole place, cops and all, burst out laughing.

Hahaha....I was at one a few weeks back and the Gards came in. The barman said "Thank **** you're here...I've been trying to shift them for the last hour"
The Gard laughed and said "Yeah, what about these?" pointing to about 8 or 9 pints of Guinness along the top of the tap counter waiting to be topped off.

stovelid

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

I've been at lock ins where the Peelers arrived and took names and poured drink down the sink and charged the Bar owner....

Wow, you must be pretty old if you were even drinking back in Sir Robert Peel's day?

Savage Tyrant

stovelid wrote: »

Wow, you must be pretty old if you were even drinking back in Sir Robert Peel's day?

Quite a common name for the fuzz in the North still....

Mike 1972

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

the most draconian licensing laws ever...

I take it youve never been to Iran ?

Biggins

Seen lock-in's a few times.
The clever ones behind the bar take the money for the drink but don't ring it up on the till.
(If they did, the time and date would be recorded electronically - not good for a court case if your caught).
They stick the money in a pint glass/box under the counter with a note of what was ordered - till the following time of officially opening again.

If a judge was to check some till receipts, he would see that some days a bars best business was within ten minutes of an opening time! :pac:

stovelid

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Quite a common name for the fuzz in the North still....

I know. Just messing.

TheUsual

Mike 1972 wrote: »

I take it youve never been to NI ?

No sorry I enjoy a tipple after my dinner at 11pm.

Mr.Crinklewood

If there was a bar in Mountjoy, would there always be a lock in?

Savage Tyrant

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

If there was a bar in Mountjoy, would there always be a lock in?

Here's your coat... Now GET OUT!

Mr.Crinklewood

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Here's your coat... Now GET OUT!

I would love to get out. Smuggling this phone, the NTL modem and the router in was one thing...now need an escape plan.

hondasam

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

I would love to get out. Smuggling this phone, the NTL modem and the router in was one thing...now need an escape plan.

It's how you smuggled them in that worries me !

Mr.Crinklewood

hondasam wrote: »

It's how you smuggled them in that worries me !

Jo Brand.

hondasam

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Jo Brand.

pity the person that was doing that search :pac:

cursai

Lock in's don't happen.
The bar manager cordially invites any of his faithful friends and companions who happen to in the public house at the time of closing for a few social drinks in his gaff. his friends are grateful for this show of hospitality and donate some monetary credits to his health!

Biggins

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Jo Brand.

As regards her, it just goes to show how wrong a person (me) can be.
I always thought for some bizarre reason she was a lesbian. I was totally wrong it seems.
She's married and had children according to an interview she did on TV!

(Still don't find her funny though)

Biggins

cursai wrote: »

Lock in's don't happen.
The bar manager cordially invites any of his faithful friends and companions who happen to in the public house at the time of closing for a few social drinks in his gaff. his friends are grateful for this show of hospitality and donate some monetary credits to his health!

What about the poor staff that are forced to stay and keep serving, for if they just leave, they could be sacked?
Not a question just for yourself cursai but to the forum in general.
I have friends that were/are doing this type of 'late' work and won't/don't get anything thing extra for it.

im invisible

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

pubs should be allowed to close whenever they like

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Including Good Friday...

R0ot wrote: »

Yes! Also on Christmas Day.

but they do, ALL day on them days.....

superfish

why would any normal person want to be locked in as by the end of the night all that remains is complete idiots and a nasty smell of ballsack plus most the good looking girls left hours ago

im invisible

Biggins wrote: »

What about the poor staff that are forced to stay and keep serving, for if they just leave, they could be sacked?
Not a question just for yourself cursai but to the forum in general.
I have friends that were/are doing this type of 'late' work and won't/don't get anything thing extra for it.

ive worked in a bar where this used to happen the (very) odd night, once theres not too many people in, you could have a few pints yourself, and have the craic. sure i'd be having a pint or two myself, whether they were there or not, and it never went on too late

OutlawPete

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Just wondering how the system works with regard to "lock ins"?

Well, usually when everyone's being asked to leave, but you notice that there a good few folk smiling away and paying no attention to that request and not looking as if their fun is over at all, if anything perhaps just about to begin; have a quick word in the ear of the proprietor to see if you can join them. Chances are if you're sound, easy going and up for the craic, you'll be more than welcome.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

The name "lock in" implies that you can't leave until it's properly over ..

Well, any I have been to have no problem turfing people out if they can't chill and join in with the festivities, so I don't see why you couldn't leave whenever you want. Once you appreciate of course that, what happens in a lock in, stays in a lock in.

Sunnyisland

Years ago i drank In a pub in cavan & every weekend after time was up we would all decamp into his sitting room were we would all continue drinking into the wee hours,great fun terrible hangovers.

Biggins

im invisible wrote: »

ive worked in a bar where this used to happen the (very) odd night, once theres not too many people in, you could have a few pints yourself, and have the craic. sure i'd be having a pint or two myself, whether they were there or not, and it never went on too late

Yea, I've been in similar situations (me doing the drinking in my youth).
On the rare occasion I came across lads that just wanted to get home to bed after along day and that were on at ten the next morning to do the opening shift.
I would leave when I came across such staff just wanting to get home too.

cloneslad

realies wrote: »

Years ago i drank In a pub in cavan

We've all done things we aren't proud of

mcgarry098

if ya work in a pub lock-ins are the biggest load of ****! been workin till usually 5 because of them, one night it was 6 30,. its ridiculus. dont get paid extra,. you do get free drink though but theres no point in drinkin at 4 in the mornin!

Biggins

mcgarry098 wrote: »

if ya work in a pub lock-ins are the biggest load of ****! been workin till usually 5 because of them, one night it was 6 30,. its ridiculus. dont get paid extra,. you do get free drink though but theres no point in drinkin at 4 in the mornin!

Indeed. I know young (married and have kids) staff that are trapped by employers taking the piss over the advantage they have on them.

Berns

Never been till one Any time was out drinkin usually ended up goin till club or sumfin. Maybe once but think that was it more or less actually closin

mikemac

Lock in's were a pain!

Finish your bar shift at and the manager instructs you to serve his friends.
So the bar you swept, clean and mopped is ruined again and now you have to serve a shower of drunks who were drinking since the afternoon before when "their team" in some UK city they've never been to and have no connection with won some game kicking a ball around a pitch

Never mind you are due for breakfast shift at 8am and a host of employment laws are being broken :mad:

Drink driving is a killer.
But falling asleep at the wheel is also a killer and I've no doubt people in Ireland die every year coming home from crazy shifts.
If I was working breakfast shift the next day I used to demand a taxi, take it out of petty cash

Steodonn

Only lock-ins I've ever been it would be the owner and some of the trusted locals pulling the pints. Never seen the staff stay. Cant imagine publicans getting away with that if they weren't willing to pay the staff extra

garv123

ive often been told to stay serving after hours. lock the doors and pull down the blinds is the first thing that is done. anyone leaving leaves through the back door. (the juke box still blaring gives it away most times) My choice is stay there serving or find another job.
The landlord has been caught plenty of times and has about 4 court cases coming up. i have often been their myself after work drinking with the rest of the staff and the landlord till all hours. I'd imagine this is legal since we're sitting in the kitchen and the drink is coming from the bar but its free. so he's not selling alcohol after hours.

Eric Cartman

superfish wrote: »

why would any normal person want to be locked in as by the end of the night all that remains is complete idiots and a nasty smell of ballsack plus most the good looking girls left hours ago

pulling byors isnt the only reason we like drinkin

mcgarry098 wrote: »

you do get free drink though but theres no point in drinkin at 4 in the mornin!

in my day there was always a point in drinking at 4am , and if you can knock back 2 pints an hour thatd probably be more than youd be paid for that hour anyway , no point in drinking , jog on with that kind of talk

slavetothegrind

if i were staffing a lock in i'd be imposing a 1 euro "tip" on all drinks after closing time, reimbursing myself if you will!

I'd say you'd be hard pressed to find a publican eager to throw out a decent crowd of drinkers nowadays.

bc dub

i think the recession has increased the amount of lock ins going on around the country.

i know of two bars in dublin that have regular lock ins, one in particular that does it every week without fail. technically it is a hotel but the majority of patrons after 3am are not residents.

Mr. Loverman

I used to work in a (now closed) lap dancing bar in Dublin where we'd have lock ins with the girls after work.

There would be mad orgies. Got loads of them pregnant.

Copper23

Man, Its not like you go p to the bar and exchange your cash at a lockin but if you are invited to a lockin and are neither owner nor staff you'd have to be pretty bad to go there, take the free drink and leave nothing behind.