Let me start by saying that I have been a loyal customer and avid supporter of Red Door for the past 8 years. I have befriended a number of the bartenders, brought all of my out-of-town visitors to my "favorite local bar", and don't even want to attempt counting all of the money I have spent there. The bartenders are phenomenal, some of the best in the business if you ask me! The conversations are always fantastic, and the pours are even better. Cannot speak highly enough of the hard working people behind the counter and the management!
However, I have a bone to pick with their bouncers. This past Saturday night, a group of about 10-12 of us came to Red Door following a work Christmas party. We were having a fantastic time until one of the bouncers (wearing camouflage) approached my boyfriend on the patio and told him to leave. We were all confused since we were just standing there, having a group conversation. We had actually just talked about leaving within the next 10 minutes, so we didn't make a huge fuss. As we were trying to exit the bar, the bouncer threw my boyfriend onto the floor. Bar patrons had to physically pull the guy off of him. The behavior of that bouncer was appalling. Not only were we unjustly ejected from the establishment, but now he was assaulting us while we were trying to be compliant. When we got outside, camo bouncer, a larger bouncer with a beard, and a small man in a Santa suit (I don't think he was a bouncer?) followed us outside and pinned my boyfriend to the fence, repeating "you're going to jail tonight" over and over again. I tried to get in between them, not only to speak some reason (It is the holidays after all!), but because I was honestly afraid for my boyfriend's safety. I hate to play the "girl" card, but I'll do it when needed! They physically stopped him from getting into our uber when it arrived, which they had absolutely no legal right to do. I wish the cops HAD come! I would have felt more protected. We finally got away and ran to our uber. My boyfriend got in the back seat, I closed the door and before I could get into the front seat, the small guy dressed at Santa ripped open the back door and attempted to forcibly pull my boyfriend back out of the car onto the sidewalk! Luckily, he failed. I jumped in the front seat and begged the uber driver to get us to safety. Our uber driver saw everything and talked with us for the entire 15 minute ride home about how what he saw was the grossest behavior he's ever seen.
So Yelpers beware. The building is awesome, the drinks are fantastic, and the bartenders and patrons are top-notch. But their bouncers look and act like redneck hillbillies who are far too inclined to incite violence than do their job, which is to keep peace at the bar. I find it ironic that they wanted us to leave the bar, but once we got outside and off the premises, they wouldn't actually LET US LEAVE! I love Red Door, but I truly believe these bouncers are a huge liability. I wanted to let everyone know my experience so they have a chance to rectify the situation before it happens to anyone else. read more