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

questionmark? · 03-04-2011 07:55PM

Yep they happen the whole time. I worked in a bar for a while and every weekend without fail we would have a lock in. Usually just a few friends of staff or the boss and one or two of their friends. Hardly ever got a visit from the guards although this may have being down to the local taxi drivers who could hear over the radios were the guards were going and would ring us to tell us they were a coming, que stamped to the fire escape or the back yard:D in return the staff and the people on the lock in would use said taxis for getting home. *smoking was also permitted

mcgarry098 · 03-04-2011 08:18PM

any lock ins where i am is just whoever is in the pub can stay, no invite haha.. if any of them are known to cause trouble we wont let the lock in happen. of course ya charge for drinks ,. were not staying there from the goodness of our hearts

eire-kp · 03-04-2011 08:31PM

Lock doors, close blinds, duke box turned down, ash trays handed out and pay for drinks but a few free rounds are always given...but usually get a free round most normal nights to be fair!
That's in a small village pub.

ScumLord · 03-04-2011 08:47PM

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

pubs should be allowed to close whenever they like

:eek: But what if they want to close early?

Adyx · 03-04-2011 09:08PM

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!

Pfft liightweight. We often used to stay till the next afternoon. Even then we only left to get breakfast. If I was working the next morning (office work and cash - not bar work) I'd often sleep in the office.

None of your random strangers of the street though - this was only for staff and friends. Guards didn't care as long it was staff.

Capt'n Midnight · 03-04-2011 11:56PM

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.

Not sure that's true because I've heard of a prosecution where the pub owners were done for drinking in the kitchen after hours. The license covered more than just the lounge/bar area itself.

admiralofthefleet · 03-04-2011 11:59PM

User Friendly wrote: »

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.

giving out drink and not charging for it is completely legal. a pub could open on good friday if they wanted to. they just cant trade drink for cash, they would have to give it out for free

there is nothing stopping them giving out cloakroom tickets for every drink 'bought' and then charging for them on the saturday morning after good friday;)

Biggins · 04-04-2011 12:12AM

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

...there is nothing stopping them giving out cloakroom tickets for every drink 'bought' and then charging for them on the saturday morning after good friday;)

Actually in legal terms, such exchange of tickets could be construed as forms of legal 'consideration' in an exchange of service or goods.
As you have entered into a derivative form of exchange, it still can be seen in a court as entering into a binding form of temporary credit exchange in lue of forthcoming monetary funding.

admiralofthefleet · 04-04-2011 12:15AM

Biggins wrote: »

Actually in legal terms, such exchange of tickets could be construed as forms of legal 'consideration' in an exchange of service or goods.
As you have entered into a derivative form of exchange, it still can be seen in a court as entering into a binding form of temporary credit exchange in lue of forthcoming monetary funding.

yeah but it can be argued against

Biggins · 04-04-2011 12:19AM

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

yeah but it can be argued against

True but as actual services would be rendered on the night against future forth coming payment, the onus would be on the bar owner/barman to show those services/goods were not used outside set legal state time limits.
As the Gardi might have been called to such a place and found such an exchange taking place and the drink actually sitting in front (maybe lined up) of those drinking, the bar owner would have a hell of a battle convincing a court otherwise and the evidence would weight with those prosecuting.

barochoc · 04-04-2011 12:28AM

I've ended up in a certain Pub/Hotel on Dame Street after 3am on several occasions over the last few years. Pretended I was local bar staff (you need to look sober) walked in with a few friends. Place was stuffed & smoking was permitted!!!!! :eek:

I don't see a problem with it & I think the Gardai just let it be as there's never any trouble & realistically it's supposed to be local staff just having a few after hours drinks. Of course some people will lie & sneak in. But in general, they are known to the bar/hotel staff.

90% of the people out that night are annihilated anyway & shouldn't be served past 1 or 2am never mention a lock in after 3am

Rabble Rabble · 04-04-2011 01:08AM

Since a pub is often a house, a lock-in with friends is a party. No illegality unless money changes hands, and even that is a grey area - I have paid for tinnies at parties, admittedly at cost.

The real issue is forcing staff to stay, that's a form of imprisonment.

pappyodaniel · 04-04-2011 05:39AM

I_ drive a cab in a small country village with about 6 pubs and it would be rare for me not to be dropping folks home from the pub around the 2 o'clock mark during weekdays.
Weekends are usually around 4 o'clock, the younger crowd come back from the nightclubs in the neighbouring town and go back to the pubs in the village....MADNESS!
My latest/earliest pick up was 7.30am. Had to call into a pub to get the punter into my car and what I saw inside threw me for 6. The pub was jammers, music blaring and young and old drinking, dancing and singing.
To be fair, I've never seen a row outside any of these pubs and I've been working here for the last 2 years. It goes to show that the 'staggered' closing times are conducive to a low level of alcohol related violence and criminality.
Compare this to pubs/nightclubs all emptying out onto the streets at the same time and the problems that go with it.

Azureus · 04-04-2011 08:27AM

I love a good aul lock-in. Used to have many of them when I did bar work, was never many people though, just the bar staff and one or two friends of each of us. Usually stayed til about 6 having a drink after our shift even if it was just staff-perks of the job we never paid. If anybody was with us who didnt work there, they'd always pay for drinks bought bar maybe a pint or two, and it was put through the till the next morning.

Last one I was at was around Christmas, seems to be tonnes of them around my locals at that time of year but hardly any otherwise, except the odd staff+1 session after hours. Once the place looks closed from outside, its all good. Only had the gardai call in on one of them, and they just told us all the to be gone in half an hour, no ramifications.

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

Comments