Lucky Dog

My husband and I live out of state but we visit the North Shore a few times a year to visit family and friends.  This past Friday we were in town for an event and decided to swing by the Lucky Dog after our party wrapped up.

We hitched a ride with some friends, parked in the lot and walked in through the back door.  There was nobody at the door checking IDs.  I take a seat the bar with a friend and order a drink.  I was not asked for my ID and was given a drink no questions asked.  A few seconds later my husband comes up to me saying the bartender refused him a drink because he had an out of state ID.  

I turn back towards the bar to ask the bartender if  my husband can stay while I finish my drink or if he has to leave immediately.  Keep in mind I had just paid for the full drink sitting in front of me.  Before I open my mouth to speak, the bartender shouts at me "DON'T DO THAT!  HE'S BEEN WARNED!"  I'm confused and ask the bartender what he is talking about.  He just repeated "he's been warned" and walked away.

At this point my husband leaves the bar area to find our ride and let them know we have to leave.  I turn back to the bar to have a few sips of my still full cocktail before we go.  Less than 10 seconds later I turn to see the bouncer laying hands on my husband, grabbing him by the collar and forcibly pushing him out the front door.  I run over and ask him what the problem is and say that if he has an issue he doesn't have to be rude.  

The bouncer starts shouting that he has told my husband to leave "14 times", which is an exaggeration seeing as we had been there less than 5 minutes.  He then proceeds to grab me by the arm and try to push me away from the door.  He says "he's out of state, he has to go" as he is gripping my arm and pushing me back into the bar.  I tell him that I'm out of state too yet I was served, and he forcibly pushes me out the door.  Up until this point I had not raised my voice, cursed, or done anything to warrant this man laying hands on me.

We have been to the Lucky Dog approximately 6 times over the past few years and have never had an issue.  We are in our thirties and don't look like we're underage. Having our IDs turned away is an annoying issue we sometimes run into when we visit.  We understand that certain places have policies and while it is annoying, we know we have to abide by the house rules.   If the bar has changed its policy, no big deal.  This is not the only bar in town.  We can move on.  But to take such drastic action against one person with a valid out of state ID while not even checking the ID of others is unfair and unprofessional.

I am very angry at the rude and hostile treatment we received at the Lucky Dog.  This was only made worse when the bartender, Russell, posted a false report of the incident on FaceBook.  Read his exact words below:  

"Ok... When the bartender refuses your ID. 1.you are not getting a drink. 2.do not tell them you're just gonna have your friends order you a drink. 3. Don't actually attempt what is stated in number two. 4. When the bartender tells you to leave, leave. 5. If you don't and the bouncer tells you to leave, leave. 6. If you still don't, you will be assisted. 7. If you throw a 12 year old temper tantrum, grabbing chairs and tipping them on your way out.... You are banned.

Besides a little napoleon complex, he seemed alright. Just wanted to be tall for a night. My favorite from last night, when I refused an out of state; I told him "trust me it sucks more for us than you"....answer- I doubt it. 'So a cpl less drinks in your liver and more money in your pocket is worse than me making less $$'.... The few are starting to ruin my opinion of the many."

Russell's cheap shot at my husband's height makes me want to say something nasty about his portly, unkempt appearance, but I will refrain.  The fact is none of this happened.  I witnessed the incident and no chairs were thrown over, nor was there any temper tantrum.  I don't know whether Russell has my husband confused with someone else or if he is trying to make his evening sound more exciting than it was.  Either way this is completely untrue and I am saddened to see that he chooses to badmouth patrons online.

Bottom line: out of towers beware!  This place does not want your business and will go out of their way to make you feel unwelcome.  This was an incident that got completely blown out of proportion by 2 staffers who wanted to be tough guys.  Unless you want to be mistreated by a couple of small minded jerks, stay far away from this place!

A local hang out for sure. The bar staff is wicked nice and fast. The alcohol selection is great. They are the perfect place to chill and watch a game; tons of TV's. They also give you free popcorn. Random, but I don't hate it.

The customers can be seen urinating against the wall outside the bar against Brown's salon. You got to check this out.  It's a young, mostly hip crowd.