News Beat
Atherton bar owner ‘proud’ of staff in face of ‘increasing abuse’
Society Cocktail Bar and The Plaza, both on Market Street in Atherton, are popular cocktail bars.
Both bars in Atherton are owned by Curtis Whitty, 27, and his partner and business partner, Chris Tomlinson, 29.
In a post to social media earlier this week, the owners warned customers about the consequences of abusing their staff, and stated that CCTV was in use at the bars and images would be shared with police when needed.
However, Curtis stressed that most customers are enjoyable to have at the venues, and that he’s ‘incredibly proud’ of his staff for their work in the face of abuse.
Speaking to The Bolton News, Mr Whitty explained that there is an ‘increasing level of abuse’ and that the post came after what he said was a ‘final straw’.
Mr Whitty said: “On that evening, I personally stopped a group of males from entering the bar as they had previously been barred due to earlier incidents.
“In response, they directed a series of homophobic slurs at me.
“While it didn’t have the reaction they were likely hoping for, it does highlight the level of abuse that hospitality staff are increasingly facing, particularly during busy festive periods.
“Over Christmas, we experienced a range of issues that, while caused by a very small minority, had a real impact on our teams — verbal abuse for not being served quickly enough, attempts to steal decorations, and aggressive behaviour fuelled by excessive alcohol consumption.
“We often refer to the festive period as ‘silly season’ and understand it brings out characters who may drink more than usual, but there is never any excuse for abusive or discriminatory language.”
However, he was keen to stress that he had struggled with making the post and that he didn’t want to sound like he was complaining for the sake of it, and that most customers are not abusive.
He said: “It’s really important to stress that the vast majority of people who came out over Christmas were amazing and had a great night with us.
“Most customers were respectful, patient, and supportive, and that’s exactly why these venues have such strong communities around them.
“Unfortunately, while we can’t control individual actions, we do operate a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse, drug use, or violence.
“I’d also strongly encourage anyone visiting any venue — over Christmas and beyond — to report behaviour that doesn’t feel right.
“Bartenders and venue staff don’t have eyes in the back of their heads, as useful as that would be.
“If someone is doing something they shouldn’t be, or acting in a way that causes concern, please tell a member of the team.
“If we don’t see it and it isn’t reported, we can’t deal with it — but if we’re made aware, we will act.”
About making the post, Curtis said: “I hate putting anything out there that might reflect badly on our venues or our teams.
“But I’m incredibly proud of our staff and the work they do, especially over this period, and sometimes it’s important to speak up for them.
“People often think hospitality work is easy, that it’s ‘just pouring pints’, but I’d challenge anyone to work behind one of our bars on a busy Saturday night with no experience and say the same once they’ve finished.
“The pressure, responsibility, and abuse staff face is hugely underestimated.”
