Bar in Coventry refusing to serve servicemen after a funeral

[Colinjb]

Just wanted to bring attention to something that has occured in my adopted home. A bar in the city centre called 'Browns' refused to serve a group of servicemen who had just attended a funeral of one of their colleagues, Cpl Michael Thacker.

This has caused a fair bit of shock in the city and the bar is now suffering something of a backlash. Their argument was that serving military personnel in dress uniform is illegal.... which sound like total b*llocks to me, especially as they were trying to order tea/coffee.

As I said, wanted to raise awareness of this and the protest group on facebook. Thankyou for your time.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/334164269991095/

[lettuce]

I've been turned away from that place twice in the past, purely for having a shaved head - they were happy to take my money off me when I still had hair! Glad to see the ***ts have dropped a bollock and are getting some stick for it!

[Saint in Paradise]

Words fail me, well actually they don't but I better not post what I really feel.

[Saint in Paradise]

Just showed this thread to my wife and she is also disgusted.

[Thedelldays]

They are talking Shyte about it being illegal

I saw this earlier on Facebook

Pish poor really

[dune]

Coventry has always been one of the most soul destroying cities in the midlands. Horrible place, horrible people.

[Colinjb]

horrible people.

The backlash to this is telling me otherwise.

[Thedelldays]

Just google the place and it is full of stories from years gone by of people slaying this place

[dune]

The last time i was at the Ricoh I witnessed a group of Coventry fans spit on a family of Saints fans. Horrible place, horrible people.

[Hatch]

Would be great if a full (real life) boycott could be organised instead of the usual modern day (pretend) on-line boycott.

No customers for months, that'll please the management.

[dune]

Would be great if a full (real life) boycott could be organised instead of the usual modern day (pretend) on-line boycott.

No customers for months, that'll please the management.

If this story makes the nationals (The Sun love stories like this) then heads will roll.

[Colinjb]

If this story makes the nationals (The Sun love stories like this) then heads will roll.

They are already on it apparently.

[Minty]

Used to go to Browns when my best mate at the time was at Cov Uni and I visited at least once a month. Was a nice enough place most of the time but could really put their foot in it sometimes. I once got refused entry at 1300 on a weekday, because I didn't have my student ID on me... funnily enough because I wasn't a student.

It sounds like they were acting in good faith and abiding by what they *thought* were genuine reasons in this case and hopefully they'll come out and apologise sharpish but if not, they'll get everything they deserve.

[Whitey Grandad]

Complete boycott the only answer. Only a prompt and unqualified apology might save them.

[richie]

I love when people make up laws! like it being illegal to take a photo of a police car!

I'd love to know why they thought it was illegal?

[Orange]

Saw that on facebook, would be great to see them really suffer. Reviews of the place are terrible.

Its not an isolated case though, where i live which is military based, they often get turned away from clubs/pubs, their arguement is that they'll 'kick off'.
Guess the fact they were going after a funeral makes it even worse.

[Orange]

I love when people make up laws! like it being illegal to take a photo of a police car!

I'd love to know why they thought it was illegal?

And that its illegal to film the OB, usually they make that up when they're beating someone up.

[Whitey Grandad]

I love when people make up laws! like it being illegal to take a photo of a police car!

I'd love to know why they thought it was illegal?

There is some anti-terrorism act that can be applied to almost anything, council offices, railway stations, my back garden, the list the goes on.

[Thedelldays]

They have issued an apology

I really want to know what part of them thought It was a good idea when it was the afternoon

[alpine_saint]

Just wanted to bring attention to something that has occured in my adopted home. A bar in the city centre called 'Browns' refused to serve a group of servicemen who had just attended a funeral of one of their colleagues, Cpl Michael Thacker.

This has caused a fair bit of shock in the city and the bar is now suffering something of a backlash. Their argument was that serving military personnel in dress uniform is illegal.... which sound like total b*llocks to me, especially as they were trying to order tea/coffee.

As I said, wanted to raise awareness of this and the protest group on facebook. Thankyou for your time.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/334164269991095/

I hope they get backlashed into bankruptcy.

Time the UK had a law banning discrimination against HM forces - every other f**king interest group such as homosexuals and Muslims has one.

[Thedelldays]

someone posted on the Facebook page that last week a relative of his is recovering from chemotherapy and has no hair and was wearing a wooly hat.
when asked to remove hat upon entry they tried to explain the reasons and the response was to leave.

this place has loads of stories following it about being...just a shyt place
apparently, so I am reading...the bar is less than 100 yards of the church and the Army lads could be seen all morning outside practicing/getting ready for the funeral.

so to say they had no idea is just a lie

[Lighthouse]

someone posted on the Facebook page that last week a relative of his is recovering from chemotherapy and has no hoar and was wearing a wooly hat.
when asked to remove hat upon entry they tried to explain the reasons and the response was to leave.

this place has loads of stories following it about being...just a shyt place

I'm not one to make jokes about cancer, but has he tried looking in Portsmouth?

[Thedelldays]

I'm not one to make jokes about cancer, but has he tried looking in Portsmouth?
hair....was meant to say

[Lighthouse]

I hope they get backlashed into bankruptcy.

Time the UK had a law banning discrimination against HM forces - every other f**king interest group such as homosexuals and Muslims has one.

Actually I think we shouldn't have laws against discrimination for private business', then the people who run them would get shown up as the biggots they really are and go bust.

[Spudgun]

The last time i was at the Ricoh I witnessed a group of Coventry fans spit on a family of Saints fans. Horrible place, horrible people.

I've been spat on by someone behind me in the Northam when my season ticket was up near the back, do your generalisations apply here as well?

[Minty]

The apology is a bit thin... surely, all that was needed was a sensible discussion at the time and some common sense, but no, that didn't happen.

Boycott away.

[Colinjb]

As many of you have read, this place has an awfully inconsistent record on serving people. Their 'we don't need to answer you, we just don't want you here,' attitude which has boarder line racist, sexist and elitist overtones has left a lot of ill feeling towards it.

Hopefully this is the straw that breaks the camels back and drives it out of existence. That hollow appology is far too little, far too late!!

[This Charming Man]

Saw that on facebook, would be great to see them really suffer. Reviews of the place are terrible.

Its not an isolated case though, where i live which is military based, they often get turned away from clubs/pubs, their arguement is that they'll 'kick off'.
Guess the fact they were going after a funeral makes it even worse.

Life (the one and only club in Andover) once had a total ban on all military personnel. The Welsh Guards literally rioted in there one night and the club lost it's license temporarily because of that. Once they regained it, they banned them. Eventually they relented but still to this day take all the details down off their military ID's and refuse most of them on a Saturday night.

[Thedelldays]

Life (the one and only club in Andover) once had a total ban on all military personnel. The Welsh Guards literally rioted in there one night and the club lost it's license temporarily because of that. Once they regained it, they banned them. Eventually they relented but still to this day take all the details down off their military ID's and refuse most of them on a Saturday night.
there are places like that in balloch and clued bank near glasgow. reason being, the Navy have caused to much trouble over the years....fair enough I say
but this case at browns has no connection like that

[lettuce]

someone posted on the Facebook page that last week a relative of his is recovering from chemotherapy and has no hair and was wearing a wooly hat.
when asked to remove hat upon entry they tried to explain the reasons and the response was to leave.

this place has loads of stories following it about being...just a shyt place
apparently, so I am reading...the bar is less than 100 yards of the church and the Army lads could be seen all morning outside practicing/getting ready for the funeral.

so to say they had no idea is just a lie

As mentioned in post #2, I've had first-hand experience of this on TWO occassions at this place... they've clearly got something against "baldies" (whether the hair-loss is natural, self-administered or otherwise unavoidable!)

On both occassions when it happened to me, they stopped me between the entrance and the bar and said "you won't get served in here". When I questioned why, the response was "We don't need to give a reason". Seems this is standard practice for them.

The second time it happened, I was meeting up with a group of friends for a birthday meal and was the last to arrive, so the rest of them (about 15 people) all got up and left :smug:

[WindsorSaint]

Life (the one and only club in Andover)

What happened to the Country Bumpkin!!!! :o

WS :)

[Orange]

Life (the one and only club in Andover) once had a total ban on all military personnel. The Welsh Guards literally rioted in there one night and the club lost it's license temporarily because of that. Once they regained it, they banned them. Eventually they relented but still to this day take all the details down off their military ID's and refuse most of them on a Saturday night.

Yeah, down Tidworth/Ludgershall way they often scrap outside the pubs.
Didn't know Life were so organised about it though.

[pap]

Coventry has always been one of the most soul destroying cities in the midlands. Horrible place, horrible people.

Cov people are cool. Their city might look like a bag of arse, but they're very friendly.

[Viking Warrior]

Charming Man

This situation is significantl differnet from the welsh guards and luggershal

These serviceman were doing a dress rehearsal for one of thier fallen comrades. and only went into browns due to the rain and to have a tea or coffee before the actual funeral

[This Charming Man]

What happened to the Country Bumpkin!!!! :o

WS :)

Now that was well before my time. The preferred hang out for my old man and his pals.

[This Charming Man]

Charming Man

This situation is significantl differnet from the welsh guards and luggershal

These serviceman were doing a dress rehearsal for one of thier fallen comrades. and only went into browns due to the rain and to have a tea or coffee before the actual funeral

I'm aware of that.

Was just merely posting my only other knowledge of military being banned from a venue.

[dune]

Cov people are cool. Their city might look like a bag of arse, but they're very friendly.

Scouser in sticking up for another dump shocker.

[pap]

Scouser in sticking up for another dump shocker.

That's certainly one theory.

I'm going with:-

Coventry another place where dune has got a slap so therefore now hates.

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

Now that was well before my time. The preferred hang out for my old man and his pals.

Would I be very old if I asked if that was Chaplins and then Flicks?

[Colinjb]

It appears that Brown's Bar hasn't bothered opening today. I wonder if that'll be a permanant arrangement.

[Thedelldays]

What's the local reaction been like?

[Durleyfos]

There is a saying that goes along the lines of "There's no such thing as bad publicity".

There is now.

[WindsorSaint]

Would I be very old if I asked if that was Chaplins and then Flicks?

Not old enough - I think Flicks was the old cinema (Savoy?)...

Bumpkin was in East Street I think...

WS :D

[buctootim]

What's the local reaction been like?

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2012/06/29/browns-bar-owner-s-charity-gift-slammed-as-too-little-too-late-92746-31283926/

[Colinjb]

What's the local reaction been like?

Phenominally hostile.

The place has been empty since this began and if you mention the bar now it is always followed by some kind of curse against the owners. Note to any business owners, never sh*t on your own doorstep, you never know when it'll come back to haunt you.

[buctootim]

Phenominally hostile.

The place has been empty since this began and if you mention the bar now it is always followed by some kind of curse against the owners. Note to any business owners, never sh*t on your own doorstep, you never know when it'll come back to haunt you.

Why did they have this random turning people away policy in the first place? Were they just trying to look exclusive and cool?

[Colinjb]

Why did they have this random turning people away policy in the first place? Were they just trying to look exclusive and cool?

Trying to appear upmarket may be part of it, but the policy is not formalised and has been implemented aggresively seemingly at the owner and his daughter's discretion.

It's not even a door policy, they will even start taking orders only for the management to tell the staff to stop. They have kicked out pregnant women, businessmen, people of varying races, one member of a party after eveyone else has settled in and people of dissability with no formal justification or obvious reason. The only logical conclusion is that they are on an absolute power trip or completely bigotted. And now, their clientelle has spoken.

[saint1977]

This place sounds vile - why would anyone want to go there anyway? I doubt if it does quality food or drink and surely Coventry has other decent bars? There's a place in Shrewsbury that from memory (which can be hazy!) used to only serve the over 30s which I thought was ridiculous and legally challengable even though I'm 30+ myself. Again though, best way is to vote with your feet and live and go wherever you want. If you are with the right people, you'll have a great time regardless of venue.

I can certainly remember some on visits to Coventry and the old Highfield Road before the Ricoh move. With regard to Coventry itself, granted its not pretty and the postwar town planners shamed themselves but I've always found it a friendly place and the Cov fans have always been sound.

[Thedelldays]

At the other end of the scale. Many bars etc in plymouth welcome servicemen and as it is armed forces day tomorrow, nearly all this evening will let servicemen in for free if they show their ID card and many restaurants will offer further forces discounts to what they already do

[alpine_saint]

Scouser in sticking up for another dump shocker.

:lol:

[buctootim]

At the other end of the scale. Many bars etc in plymouth welcome servicemen and as it is armed forces day tomorrow, nearly all this evening will let servicemen in for free if they show their ID card and many restaurants will offer further forces discounts to what they already do

There used to be a club in Pompey called Nero's. Went down there one weekend with a group of about 5 mates. Bouncers at the door were very friendly and said "what ship you off mate?" when we looked blank and said we were just down for the night they turned us away!

[Ken Tone]

Putting aside the obvious case for the doorman using their discretion in this case, the banning of uniforms is a rather illogical ruling anyway. If a group of squaddies is going to go into a bar and cause trouble , they're going to be a lot harder to trace and a lot harder for MPs to identify if they are not wearing uniform.

[Saint in Paradise]

http://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/2012/06/29/news-Browns-Bar-closes-after-online-campaign-nears-100,000-members-43932.html

Browns Bar closes after online campaign nears 100,000 members

Read more: Browns Bar closes after online campaign nears 100,000 members | Coventry Observer

[alpine_saint]

Would those of you who find the discrimination against HM Forces abhorrent, please sign the e-petition ?

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/31274

Thanks !