An Ohio bar sparked a heated debate and was accused of age discrimination after banning patrons younger than 30 on weekends in an effort to combat violence following a naked melee in the parking lot.
Donerick’s Pub in Groveport announced that Friday and Saturday nights would be “30 & up” only with “no exceptions” earlier this month as part of a trial after the apparent disorder at the neighborhood watering hole.
“We will continue to try different things to keep our business safe and cut down on violence,” the bar wrote in the comments of its Facebook post announcing the change. “Keeping our customers safe is our top priority.”
Donerick’s did not name any specific instances of violence in its reasoning, though commenters suggested there was a fight the weekend before.
“I mean the ones that’s fighting and shooting [are] 30 and up [for real],” one person commented.
“It’s really sad,” the establishment replied. “We just want to provide our customers with a fun environment to have some fun in. We will try different methods and see what works best to make everyone safe!”
Several customers suggested imposing a dress code to thwart the violence — but one person said it wouldn’t work, noting a fight involving a completely naked woman that occurred outside the bar.
“A dress code wouldn’t change anything, you can put a turkey in tuxedo it’s still a turkey. One of the girls fighting didn’t have anything on,” the man commented.
“Well one things for sure, I can promise you she did when she entered and left the building!” Donerick’s Pub responded.
The nude brawl in question was captured on video and posted to Instagram two weeks ago with the location set as the local bar and the caption noting the woman was “butt naked.”
The short clip shows a woman — with no clothes or shoes on — tussling with another, fully dressed woman as they pull each other’s hair as a third woman hits the naked woman’s back with a closed fist in a parking lot shared by several businesses, including Donerick’s.
Other people then bend over the duking women and appear to try to separate them before the video ends.
Commenters in the Facebook post, meanwhile, had their own brawl with words.
Many over the new age limit praised the bar for the change — with some even suggesting they should raise it higher to 35 and up or even 40 and up.
“The best decision 35 would be even better this generation is just lost in the sauce it’s sad I hope this makes the difference,” one woman commented.
But others who can no longer patronize the bar on the weekends felt they were unfairly penalized.
“Definitely cannot say I’d ever support an establishment who age discriminates,” a younger woman wrote.
Donerick’s Pub Groveport didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
