Loser’s night

“Ladies’ night” at the local tavern — sometimes it’s every night; sometimes it’s during certain hours — the idea is, the more females in the establishment, the better the “atmosphere” for the guys who pay for all the drinks anyway. So there’s no cover charge for women, or free drinks, or whatever. (Okay, so some of us don’t know so much about how bars work.) The point is it’s an economic calculation that no one really complains about because, after all, the guys like a nice “atmosphere.” Of course, lots of us have wondered if it’s really legal that girl elbow-benders don’t pay and boys do, but no one really thought it was something anyone was going to kvetch a court about.

Until now:

New York attorney Roy Den Hollander, a solo practitioner for more than 15 years who deals primarily with civil litigation and corporate governance, has filed a class action against certain Manhattan nightclubs for “invidious discrimination” against men in their policies for admitting patrons….

“Whether this case succeeds or fails,” says Hollander, “it will result in a much needed victory for men.”

Mm, and how would that be, exactly? Seems from here that the exact opposite is probably the case — if it fails, well, how is that a victory except in the sense that nothing happening to you, and living another day so you can drink another Sam Adams is a victory? And if the case succeeds, probably fewer women will go to bars.

Unless, perhaps, you’re like Roy Den Hollander, and prefer drinking alone, or otherwise without having to wait for the distaff-side customers to be served sooner. Or cheaper. Or less burdensomely. Maybe Roy Den Hollander just doesn’t appreciate “atmosphere.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

12 Comments

  • The Ladies Night practice clearly discriminates against gay men and guys who just want a good conversation.

  • Careful. He’s a lawyer.

    Probably sue ya for invidious comparisons.

    I’m one too. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything wrong with that. Is there? — RDC

  • Latest in a long line of dumb lawsuits over Ladies’ Night.

    Wisconsin doesn’t appear to enforce the ban in Milwaukee…

  • You missed a slight detail. Even if men and women were highly price inelastic and showed up in equal numbers regardless of their own drink prices, you’d still see this effect, as the men want the women to be drunk, and will frequent bars with free drinks for women, while the women generally want the men reasonably sober, and will frequent establishments with higher prices for men.

  • New York just caught on to this legal theory? They probably learned it from this loser in Colorado.

  • See, Tim, there you go — I really don’t know how bars “work.” I’ve always liked women to make their choices about me sober. I haven’t always appreciated those choices, but… we digress.

    Jimbino, if it is illegal discrimination, it is against men in general. I think homosexual men know places where they can go to get drinks without having to rub elbows with chicks.

    As to men who just want to chat, well, there’s nothing wrong with that, either, I suppose. But aren’t there a lot of bars where they don’t have special deals for women?

  • I originally thought that this guy was a kook out to try to make a fast buck, then I remembered an article I just read about Title IX and how it has been used by the feminists. Now I wish the guy luck on his endevour.

  • I would pay a nickel extra for a beer without Roy Den Hollander around.

  • There was a lawsuit against Les Schab Tire in Oregon a few years back because they advertised to fix flats for ladies for free. If I remember right they lost, but nothing much changed because they fixed flats on their tires for free for anyone. They just stopped advertising it. Public sentiment was definitely on Schwab’s side in the whole stupid event.

  • “Now I wish the guy luck on his endeavor.”

    That and women’s only health clubs. Time for some payback in my opinion after they sued and broke up every male club in the country.

  • Not EVERY male club in the country – there’s still that one golf club where they have the Masters (or whatever golf event that is) – just all the ones not populated by the wealthy and politically connected.

  • […] not offered discounts at China Club and other Manhattan nightclubs. (AP/CBS News, Sept. 29; earlier here, here, here, and other posts at our […]