Recent C.
Google
I really didn’t want to have to write this review, but unfortunately, I feel it’s necessary. I have been a loyal customer of Nightcap for nearly three years, as it was close to the apartment where I lived during graduate school.
On my most recent visit, I was accused of my real ID (the same one I have used at this bar for the past three years) not being mine. The waitress’ exact words were, “Did you dye your hair?” I replied, “Yes, it used to be blonder.” She then responded by yelling, “I don’t think this is your ID—it doesn’t even remotely look like you, so I’m not going to serve you,” and walked away to speak with the other bartenders without explaining what was happening. To add fuel to the fire, this happened after we had been seated for nearly 20 minutes without being served.
When she brought my ID to the other bartenders, they seemed to disagree with her assessment but ultimately supported her decision not to serve me, even though it was one of four forms of identification I had with me, all clearly showing my photo and closely matching the image on my license. One of those additional forms of ID also listed my birthdate. The waitress also presented a very different narrative to the bartenders which presented her in a better light, which was witnessed by my girlfriend and another friend who was at the bar with us. For additional context, the Ohio license I presented is embossed and contains varied textures and security features that would be extremely difficult to reproduce. It is also nearly four years old, so it is reasonable that I may look somewhat older than my photo from when I was 21. It seems entirely plausible we were being discriminated against as queer people in this space.
I completely understand concerns about fake IDs, especially in a college town. However, considering that I am nearing 25 and have never once been accused of having a fake ID, (even while living in Texas during college with an Ohio license), the situation was surprising and frustrating.
More importantly, the way this was handled was extremely unprofessional. If there are concerns about an ID, they should be addressed respectfully and clearly, not with yelling and hostility. The interaction felt unnecessarily rude and dismissive, and it makes me concerned about how other customers may be treated by this waitress on a regular basis, given her already inconsistent and poor customer service before my ID was looked at.
I hope management will take this as an opportunity to review ID verification processes and reinforce appropriate customer service expectations for staff, as this was completely unacceptable. I will be telling my friends to find another nice cocktail bar to go to as graduate students, as clearly this bar is hostile and unwelcoming. I intend to call in the next few days.