A bouncer has a tough job. Nobody wants to deal with unreasonable and belligerent drunk people. But someone's gotta do it.
Unfortunately this also means sometimes, the bouncer pisses somebody off, and then accidentally sees them in real life at some point thereafter.
These interactions aren't always bad, but understandably, they stick with the bouncers. It's only a little nerve-wracking to work these jobs...
u/mr-steal-your-cake asked:
Here were some of those stories.
The Boss
I was interviewed by a guy we had tossed out. I still remember his name because he was such a d**chebag that we banned him after this interaction and we all kind of laughed at his name because it fit his behavior so well.
Think "Kyle Blake," not his real name, but he has two kind of bro names as first and last.
Anyway, fast forward about a year, having finished school, and I'm at a staffing agency to interview for some crappy job. In walks Mr. Blake.
Unfortunately, nothing super interesting happened, but throughout the interview he acted a little strange. I never found out if he recognized me, but I was not offered the job.
Sucker Punch And Sucker Apology
I've bounced off and on for about 15 years in the same mid size city (about 150k people). One night as people were leaving this guy sucker punched another patron right inside the door.
Several other people quickly got involved. I grabbed Mr. Sucker punch and he spins around and squares up with me. I guess because I'm tall (6'6) people always seem to try and rush me and wrestle me by the waist. Mr sp was no different.
We end up wrestling for a second before I finally get a solid grip on him. He's still trying to fight at this point. I ended up picking him up and throwing him through the exit doors, breaking one of them off the hinges.
About a week later I'm out to eat with my mom of all people, and in walks Mr. Sucker punch and sits down two tables over. I wasn't particularly worried about it, but I really didn't wanna have to beat someone up in front of my mom.
About five minutes later I see him talking to the waitress and she makes her way over to our table. "That guy over there said you threw him through a door the other night at the bar. He wanted me to tell you he's sorry for being a dumb drunk".
Tales From The Bad Years
It happened fairly frequently with the regulars. As long as they weren't fighting, they'd be allowed back in the next night. Usually they were pretty embarrassed, and apologize for being a drunken jacka**.
One time I did have to kick out a good friend because he got in a fight. He was in a bad place, and was pretty embarrassed by the whole thing. We didn't really talk about it much afterwards. That was over a decade ago, and we're still friends today, and he's settled down and doesn't drink like he used to.
Baby I'm Sorry (I'm Actually Sorry)
Haven't been a bouncer in about 15 years but funny story from when I was, a guy I threw out and had to manhandle roughly (he was trying to hit me and other people) came back the next day, not to start trouble or get in again but merely to apologise and go.
Seeing somebody genuinely sorry was a very rare experience. He said and I quote "I know I was a bit of a c*nt and needed a slap, I know I'm banned, I was off my nut and just wanted to say sorry and no hard feelings". It stuck with me because he really meant it. It really doesn't go like that most of the time.
Domestic Dispute (+ Me)
Not a bouncer but a former bartender. I had to call the cops on a couple who had become angry and violent during a Sunday brunch. Both were arrested. The husband threw a glass at me, but the wife started swinging at the cop, so she got the worst of it. Rumor has it the husband was released later that day, but the wife spent a few days in jail.
A few weeks later I was in Walmart and spotted the couple. The wife didn't see me, but the husband did. We both walked away in opposite directions without saying a word. But truth be told, I was terrified.
Oh Hey Leatherface
I have a slightly relevant story. My brother went to Uni in kind of a rough city, he was at a student bar and watched this guy get bounced.
Well, he and the bouncer crossed paths again that night... the guy came back with a chainsaw. Needless to say he ruined the fun for everyone else and cops were involved. Bouncer was not injured. Hamilton Ontario, Canada for those asking!
This Can't Be Comfortable
I was a bouncer in a higher-end Toronto club in 2000/2001. People were generally respectful and just out to have a fun night. The only real memorable ejection was from a couple we caught having sex in the ladies washroom.
It was very awkward, we had to ensure that it was consensual, and ask them to stop, and then escort them out. Because the bathroom facilities were limited to 3 or 4 stalls per gendered washroom, there was a long line up for the ladies room... The couple then had to do the walk of shame past the long washroom line up. They were then escorted from the establishment...
Hey! If You Have Ever Done This, You're Trash!
Ex-pub manager here, one evening I had a group of drunken young idiots who started a fight in my pub which needless to say ended up with them getting kicked out.
Fast forward a few weeks and I was having breakfast in a local cafe with one of my bar staff before opening when said group walked in and immediately recognised me, queue the verbal abuse and threatening behaviour so I finished up and left.... but it did not end there....
My friend had managed to keep most of them in the cafe (he half knew them) but one strolled out straight up to me... and dislocated my jaw with a right hook, followed by several kicks to the back as I went down.
Needless to say that day is why I no longer work in the pub trade.
The Sweet Revenge Of The Law
I used to bounce at a club in Annapolis, if you can call throwing drunk spoiled little rich idiots out of the bar bouncing.
3 guys I had thrown out a few weeks prior saw me in a shoppers grocery store. They started following me, first talking sh*t and then throwing food at me.
I left my cart, walked through the three of them and told them to meet me outside. Then called the police and when the police showed up (the 3 stooges didn't leave the store until then) the manager lady nicely and happily explained to the police what they had done and they were arrested for throwing store items.
Never saw them again.
I remember one called himself Big Country, a fat sloppy idiot thrown out of the Navy for being a moron.
Okay Calm Down Supervillain
I worked the door at a punk dive bar, big part of the job is bouncing people who've had too much with the attitude "it's cool dude, we're all friends, but you've had enough tonight come back tomorrow."
99% of people that's fine and it works. One dude who had probably smoked something that night was fixated on the bartender wearing a Superman shirt and ran home to shave his head and came back challenging him to a fight.
I urged him outside to get ready for the fight with a pre-fight smoke. We smoked cigarettes and gently convinced him it was time to go home, which worked until he got halfway down the street and sprinted back and threw himself at the door screaming "Superman! Superman! You can't hide from Lex Luther, Superman!"
One of the bartenders exited out of the side entrance and started yelling "holy sh*t all the cops are coming, everybody run" and the dude disappeared. I saw him at the corner bodega the next afternoon and he looked at me and smiled and said "I might have been a handful last night, sorry, see you tonight?"
Hat in hand
This one guy in his 40s I bet came into my bar once and was clearly on a new level of drunk for himself. This was around Christmastime and it's normal to have people who don't normally drink much come in and not be used to drinking, basically, it's a really sh*tty time to work in a bar.
Anyways, he got soo wasted we eventually had to take him outside, he was hitting on girls half his age and was just generally obnoxious. Mind you bar was one where 18/20-year-olds would hang, more a club really, so he was very much out of his element.
We had stand there for 3 hours while he was stood there yelling at us and spitting at us until the cops had time to come, again, Christmas.
They came and I walked out to talk to them, then as I was walking past him he clocked me in the back of the head, in front of 2 cops and 3 bouncers. Suffice to say he was eating pavement faster than I could react to the hit.
Couple days later he came back, literal hat in hand and apologized to no end, was very clear he was remorseful. Dude had just turned 45 and his wife had left him right before Christmas, he was just in a really bad spot that night and got a bit too much. I get it. I didn't press charges and he bought us bouncers a really nice bottle of cognac each! Now I didn't drink back then but my stepdad got a really nice gift that year. Never saw the guy since.
Elsewhere
I once went to a pub and realized I knew the bouncer from elsewhere. She was a nude model at an art class I attended.
Red and green
Former barman - had to "encourage" a lad to leave his work Xmas party after his elaborately choreographed karaoke rendition of "Like a virgin" with very pointed references to an older lady (his boss I suspect) did not go down well. Saw him the next morning working the till in the local supermarket- I've never seen someone's face go white ->red -> green so rapidly
I bounced for a few years in college. Welcome weekend, the weekend before classes start would get pretty rowdy, and I had to kick a handful of people out. One guy in particular, I had an extended interaction with, where I threatened to choke him out.
Monday comes, he's the teacher's aide in the last class I have for my major. Syllabus day is BS, we just go over what the semester looks like and do some introductions.
I was one of the last people to talk to the class, and as I got done, I'm walking back to my chair and the TA says something like, "also don't get wild at (the bar), he works there and will not be nice if you get him mad" and kinda laughed.
The prof then made me come back up, and have the TA tell his story, then me tell my side, everyone had a good laugh and the dude ended up being a regular at the bar after that.
