RateMyJob

At RateMyJob, we believe work shouldn’t be a chore, but when it is, you should at least get a good story out of it. So we’ve scoured the web for the funniest and most outrageous stories from professionals from all industries, to bring you a little humor and entertainment when you need it most.

  • Career
  • Humor
  • Culture
  • Leadership
  • Perks

New York Restaurant Bans Single Women From Eating At The Bar

By Hugh Solari
January 25, 2019

UberstockShutterstock.com

Earlier this month, a creative design executive from London wrote in her blog about a terrible experience at a high-end Italian restaurant in New York City. The blogger, Clementine Crawford, travels to New York multiple times a year for work and she has been a regular at this restaurant, Nello, for years. She might not be after her most recent experience though.

Image Source

Crawford explains in her blog post that she walked into the restaurant recently and went to her usual spot at the bar for a quick dinner. Before she could get to a stool, a waiter she knew approached her and hesitantly told her that she had to sit at a table, rather than the bar. She was tired and didn’t want to make a fuss, so she sat at a table. A few nights later, she returned to the restaurant and again was told she would need to sit at a table.

This time, she asked why. She wrote: “I asked what was going on and was told that now nobody was able to eat at the bar. Company policy.”

But it wasn’t “nobody.” It was only women.

She figured that out when a man walked in and sat at the bar.

Image Source

She describes the scene: “a gentleman walked in – a regular, like me – and was seated on a stool at the bar. As the evening unfolded, I watched with great interest and gathering fury as they poured him his dirty martini; brought him his breadsticks; adjusted his white linen; dished up his spaghetti; added his fresh parmesan and black pepper to boot; chatted amiably to him over the counter; and rounded off his evening with a limoncello.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why was this high-end exclusive restaurant that caters to celebrities and the rich and powerful discriminating against women?

So, she asked the waiter what was going on and he finally gave up the ghost: it was because of the hookers.

Apparently the owner of the restaurant was tired of high-priced escorts hanging out the bar, fishing for high-end customers.

Crawford was obviously angry. Why was she a casualty in the owner’s war against prostitution? The owner refused to explain and Crawford was left to ponder why all women were being discriminated against because of the actions of a few.

andrey_l/Shutterstock.com

It turns out, this might be a larger issue in New York. I recently had a conversation with a (male) partner in a large Chicago law firm who also travels to New York regularly and like Crawford, had his usual spot for a late meal after he is done working. Like Crawford, it’s an upscale place and like Crawford, he prefers to sit at the bar. On a recent trip, he had finished dinner quite late, around 1am, and was enjoying a cocktail when a woman sat down next to him. The bartender, who knew the lawyer as a regular, advised him to pay his tab and leave. Confused, but tired, he paid and left.

The next night, he returned and asked the bartender why he advised him to leave and the bartender explained that the woman was an escort and he didn’t want the lawyer to have to deal with her. The bartender explained that since the demise of Craigslist escort listings and Backpage.com, a site notorious for advertising escort services, high-end bars and restaurants have been flooded with women of the night trolling for johns.

Well, this was at least a reason why the owner of Nello refused to let Clementine Crawford sit at the bar, but it was pretty terrible reason. Women should obviously not be discriminated against because the hookers have moved in. If anything, a owner should WANT women at the bar, possibly scaring off the escorts.

    Primary Sidebar

    Most Popular

    CareerRestaurant Employees Dish On The One Customer Everyone Dreaded Serving
    Zach Brown
    HumorThese Are The Funniest Restaurant Names We Could Find
    Zach Brown
    CareerGolf Course Beverage Cart Drivers Share What Their Job Is Really Like
    Brooklyn Bubz

    Editor's Picks

    Humor26 Steak-umm Tweets That Prove It Is The Most Delightfully Peculiar Brand On Twitter
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor22 Of The Most Savage Brand Tweets Ever Tweeted
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Trending

    HumorThe 17 Most Accurate Karen Memes For Anyone Who Has Dealt With A Karen At Work
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor20 Of The Most Peculiar Walmart Customers To Ever Exist
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Secondary Sidebar

    Can't Miss Stories

    HumorThe 16 Funniest Signs Come From This One Restaurant
    Will Jamison Eucker
    CareerPeople Share The Most Condescending Thing Someone Told Them At Work
    Christina Raines
    HumorThe 5 Worst Karen Meltdowns The Manager Could Not Handle
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Must Reads

    HumorThe 6 Most Dramatic Ways That People Quit Their Jobs
    Will Jamison Eucker
    CareerKaren Bullies Her Coworker, Until She Gets Caught Lying About Her Disability
    Christina Raines

    Popular Picks

    Humor14 Times Employees Called Out Their Weird Bosses On The Internet
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor5 Most Satisfying Times Workers Saw “Justice Served” On Entitled Customers
    Brooklyn Bubz

    What People Really Think About Their Jobs
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use