Most bars worry about fake IDs or testosterone-fueled fights by the boxing arcade machine. Alibi, a cocktail bar and late-night spot in Altrincham, England, had a different concern. The owner, Carl Peters, decided solo drinkers were too much of a liability and banned anyone arriving alone after 9 p.m., a move that set off a full-scale online argument about safety, hospitality, and the definition of “unflattering company.”
The sign went up earlier this month. “No Single Entry. After 9 p.m., Alibi does not permit single entry,” it reads. Peters explained the reasoning in an Instagram video that’s now been shared widely. “It’s our job to maintain the license, make sure everyone is safe, mitigate risk wherever we can,” he said. He told BBC News that dealing with a lone guest in a packed nighttime crowd creates problems no one on staff is eager to manage, especially during medical emergencies. “It’s an absolute nightmare for us to deal with,” he said.
Peters also described interactions with solo guests as unpredictable. He claimed many arrive already drunk, wander in looking for a place to land, and sometimes latch onto groups who didn’t ask for the company. “Sometimes if you let people in on their own, the reason why they’re on their own is that they’ve got no one to talk to, so they start bothering other groups,” he told the outlet.
Bar Says No to Solo Night Drinkers, Sparking Anger
Online, reactions came quickly. Some applauded him for taking a protective stance. One commenter wrote, “As a mom of 2 young adult daughters, I welcome your policy. Safety in numbers.” Another said, “It’s your venue, you make the decisions, and if people don’t like it, then tough.” Others felt insulted by the idea that being alone at a bar warrants suspicion. “Narrow-minded,” one person wrote, saying they work late and sometimes stop for a drink on their own. “I’m happy in my own company.”
The rule isn’t set in stone. Peters emphasizes that solo customers can still come in earlier in the evening. The restriction starts when the bar turns into a full-fledged nightclub. At that point, the place gets packed, and staff concentrate on handling groups that arrive together. People coming alone can still get in if they text their friends to meet them at the entrance, if they’re already inside.
Some people find Alibi’s personal-safety policies logical, while others find them frustrating. It raises a larger question: who is a bar meant to serve? The place that offers many an escape from daily life now has guidelines on how much solitude is acceptable. And depending on who you ask, that’s either practical or profoundly unwelcoming.
The post This Bar Banned Solo Nighttime Drinkers. Folks Are Not Pleased. appeared first on VICE.
