Closing the doors 15 minutes before closing.

Greetings one and all!

I am from England. I would be most grateful if you would help with the
following question as a valuable contribution to my research into
comparisons between British and American culture. If you don't know the
answer, that's OK. Here is the question.

"Tonight I got turned away for my second pint, because, after going home to
get more money, I returned at 10:49pm. They said they were closed when I got
there. I said it's only 10:49, they said they close the doors at 10:45pm.
(Closing time for pubs here is 11:00. You can still buy a drink up to 11:00
if you're inside.) As I walked away I thought how typically British that is,
closing 15 mins before you close. I'm sure that sort of thing never happens
in America.

"I thought perhaps I would ask you. In America, if you are going to the pub
and it closes at, say 11:00 can you still walk in the door and order a pint
at 10:50? Have you ever heard anything like closing the doors 15 mins before
closing?"

Many thanks.

best, Doofus

 

Sounds similar to "last call" in the US - if you come in after that, you
get no service!

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my original question. Here it is more clearly, I
hope.

"Have you ever heard of a bar anywhere in the USA which publicly states
that it closes its doors to outsiders 15 minutes before last call?"

 

perhaps they just didnt like u.

 

"going home to get more money"?
From your mother? Robbed the piggy-bank?
The bottomline being YOU were just not wanted back at the bar!
They were being polite in providing a fabricated excuse for not
serving you.

 

Uhh, thank you, guys for taking the trouble to answer, and, in the context I
presented, perhaps your theory is reasonable. I hadn't thought it might seem
like that. However, no, this was their standard policy and when I walked
down the road to check at the next pub they said theirs was the same, and I
wasn't even trying to get in there. Going home to get more money sounds odd,
I know. Let doofus explain. My ATM card is "in the mail" or so the bank
says. They charge for over the counter withdrawals. So I got out a wad of
cash and stashed it at home, pending the card's arrival. Perhaps that helps.
Incidentally, it still hasn't arrived but that's another story.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the confusion. I just thought it was really odd that
they close their doors officially 15 mins before last call. If I'm right,
and this doesn't really happen stateside, then I guess nobody there will
have heard of such a practice. I'm just curious, because I lived in the US
for ten years, so I'm interested in differences between the cultures. I
really can't recall encountering anything like that over there.

I'm really grateful for your patience with such an unusual question.

doofus

 

im english too and none of the hostelries i frequent have such a ruling

your best move would be to get a better local

 

I can't either. If they did, someone would mumble something about
"liquor commission". However, just because you can get in doesn't
necessarily mean you can get served unless you drink *really* fast.

Restaurants are sort of similar...not unusual for them to close at one
time but stop serving earlier. Someday I'm going into one, sit down and
stare hungrily at the late diners. Might even drool a bit.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
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Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

Here in the states the employees may "fudge" a bit on closing the doors
but I've never seen a place with a policy of closing before closing time.

When I lived in Florida and partied heartier, one bar I went to closed
at 2:00am, but if you were someone they trusted, you just sit still when
it was time to lock up. After the doors were locked and the closed sign
put up, we could keep going as long as we could keep going. And I can
remember having to help carry drunk cops out at dawn.

 

In the US...
at least the places I used to go...
the clocks were always set ten minutes ahead...
and not only that...they started "last call" at ten minutes prior to
closing time...according to the time on the clocks...
so it began actually 20 minutes prior to closing.

if there are any patrons in the bar past legal closing time,
they can get fined...so they do not want to take a chance!

 

Taking a moment's reflection, doofus mused:
|
| Rick Merrill wrote:
|
|| Sounds similar to "last call" in the US - if you come in after that,
|| you get no service!
|
| Perhaps I wasn't clear in my original question. Here it is more
| clearly, I hope.
|
| "Have you ever heard of a bar anywhere in the USA which publicly
| states that it closes its doors to outsiders 15 minutes before last
| call?"

It's a common practice, and generally accepted norm in several
countries I have been in ... States included. My mates and I refer to
it as "pub time" or "bar time" ... that they make "last call" 15 minutes
before the local authorities mandate they can serve alchohol.

 

I'll vouch for that, as well. In one of my hangouts, it was customary
to play Ray Charles' "Hit The Road Jack" on the jukebox when it was
time to flush the patrons.

On the other hand, I've "stayed late" (as very much a regular) for a bit
of weed and some more hanging out at the bar (even though they stopped
"serving" at last call).