how to get past the velvet rope : nightclub etiquette
August 25, 2006 by Gucci
How many times have you stood in line at a new club?
Once, twice, always? Have you ever wondered how those cool people get inside without waiting in line?
Every person has their own manner and there is no rule set in stone that will give you the answers. But, if you have an interest Ask Men has good advice on getting to the front of the line sooner.
WEEKNIGHT GAME
Some of the best advice for avoiding the lines on the weekends is to visit on the off nights.
The slow nights allow you to meet the bouncers, waitresses, and bartenders without being rushed. The weekday nights are also a good time to run into the owner or promoter.
This is the perfect opportunity to show the staff you’re a good customer by leaving good tips. During these nights you will need to dress to impress. This will make you stand out from all of the other people trying to leave their mark.
If you’re fortunate enough to have a group of your friends along, have fun and network with those around you. Often times the cool people you see getting in on the weekends may also be out during the week. Get to know those around you and have fun.
WEEKEND GAME
During the weekends, call the club or bar in advance and ask about faster entry. This courtesy can save you time and it is a great time to ask about the dress code. If you want to avoid the line on the weekends arrive early, before the club starts to fill up.
If you do end up having to wait in line:
1) Do not approach the bouncer with a large group of your guy friends; no establishment wants that many guys going in at once. Split the group up and approach separately.
2) Approach the bouncer and slip a modest amount of money (Ed note: $20 would be the MINIMUM) in your palm and pass it to him while you shake his hand, then ask him how long the wait will be.
3) While you’re in line make new friends. If there is a group of girls nearby, ask them if they would like to join your group. With the ladies in tow go up to the front of the line and discreetly offer the bouncer money.
4) Above all don’t piss off the bouncer, or he will never let you in. Follow the rules and understand that he has been asked the same question (”C’mon man, let us in!) a hundred times.
CONCLUSION
As you begin to become more familiar with the bouncers, waitresses, bartenders, and owners you will never have to wait in line.
Until then? Play your cards right and understand that until you stand out you will always be just another face in the crowd.
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
Good tip about going on a weekday.
Without a doubt. So much easier to meet the staff!
[...] [Via: Urban Monarch] [...]
I can’t stress the advantages of going to the clubs during the weekdays. I have met more regulars, owners, promoters, Venture Capitalists, and Models than going on the weekends. Not to mention I actually get drunk faster since there are less people fighting to get a drink.
It’s all a bit desperate, though, right? I’ve a sneaky suspicion this advice was pieced together by a bouncer. Bouncers are paid to control entry, but not specifically to refuse it, or even complicate the process. There should be no need to impress, decoy, suck off, befriend, and most certainly not to PAY a bouncer for entry. Goodness me. $20 minimum for every second or third person who entered…?
If a bouncer makes me wait without due civility, if he lets someone in before me from farther back in the queue — if he generally annoys me in any other way, I will leave and go to another bar. These guys are the face of the bar. They represent the handshake between being outside and inside the bar. Yet, for some reason, owners and customers alike endure far more from bouncers than should be tolerated. Okay, they have a job to do, but their job, more than almost any other factor, dictates what impression of the establishment you will leave with.
A good bouncer will not make his presence unduly felt. A good bouncer will, if required to check for age or make you wait, tactfully word it, maybe involve you in an inclusive joke, an apology even, and generally appear affable and sided with you. If I see people slipping money to a bouncer, and him accepting it, it casts huge doubts as to just what the bouncer is willing to do - or not do, as the case may be - with a little cash incentive. Afterall, my well-being is to some extent in his charge.
Wow. I hadn’t realised I had such a wealth of pent-up anger against these guys. I need a drink.
Kieybobs obviously has no sense of style.
The thing is, if you’re stood outside *the* place to be, this sorta stuff happens. The VIP list is, basically, people who the nightclub staff and managers know. And, yes, that usually means tipping a lot and giving bouncers ‘courtesy’ money.
After all, you can get pissed off with the bouncers/barstaff from slow service and go to the pub next door (note pub, usually a quieter place, full of lower class’d people, etc) and then bam, there goes your respect’o'meter.
As it happens, I don’t have an ounce of style, I must be terribly transparant - but, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m wrong.
Of course, I understand that it takes place, and I fully appreciate the reasons behind it happening. My qualm is that it happens at all. It seems outmoded thesedays. I honestly think that, within reasonable parameters, the bar with the nicest bouncers would do the best business. And if that weren’t true, then, certainly, if you took two identical bars, and had a fair, affable set of bouncers on one, and some ruthless, hard-faced bouncers on the other, the former would do the best business.
Maybe I just want something different from my drinking experience than most of the population. I can see that, for most, maybe the glory of making it passed some strict and partial doormen, and the exclusivity that endows, would be a bit of a thrill. Nowadays, I just wanna feel safe.