Well I can honestly say that the most ridiculous thing I've heard this year related to Sam Smith's Pubs!
Firstly swearing has been banned - Zero Tolerance
Secondly bikers have been banned from The Royal Oak, Ulley, Rotherham, just for being bikers!
My thoughts include alot of 'Firstly's' and wondering whether the Landlord has thought his actions through? Hmmmm, when the inevitable deluge of bikers arrive on his carpark, just to make a point, peacefully, of course what will his thoughts be?
I'd make a bet that there will be an awful lot of 'Firstly's'!!!
Shame about this as they are the cheapest beer around and the art of conversation is still widely practised in them by people who don't have to complete with a really LOUD sound system!
Any landlord can ban any group or individual without reason. If a large group of bikers turn up on his car park all he will do is call the police and they will be told to leave. So the simple way to deal with this is bikers don't use any of there pubs. They can take the hit in the till and you can spend your hard earned money in a place your made and feel welcome
Sounds like the bad old days. Years ago pubs used to put up signs 'motorcyclists by appointment only' - I know I'm showing my age. But nowadays with so many pubs closing I would say if they can do without our custom, more fool them.
Its a shame really as their beer is good and as previously mentioned cheap beer and a nice atmosphere with no music to contend with, I hope this is just the one Landlord as I would not be too pleased if it was a national directive. Like was said before our can be spent anywhere, I hope Wetherspoons dont have the same attitude.
A private business should be free to choose it's clients. No need to have a chip on your shoulder, just choose a venue where you fit in. As for selection criteria; Are we talking about dress code here, shirts on hats off and the like. Or a social identity choice matter, in which case who decided religious groups should have backing where they aren't wanted.
STrich, ain't no chip on my shoulder, I just can't believe that we are a supposedly politically correct and inclusive society and then apparently it's ok to have a 1970s attitude in certain situations. Double standards, especially as the guys concerned have visited this pub on a relatively regular basis!?!
I tend to drink in only one Sam Smiths pub in Leeds (not that I go in to Leeds often) but if they ban bikers there, the pub will have about 5 customers!
Just ride in through the doors on your bike and shout "You,re an F*****g W****r ,shuv ya beer up yer ass! Nob head. Or just accept this discrimination with grace and go somewhere else.
There's been the court case in Rotherham in the last few days, sentencing those folk involved in the halloween biker madness in Leeds a while back.
Is it possible there's been some kickback due to bad press, or people being connected to it?
Just wondering...
With so many pubs struggling to get customers through the doors and closing at the rate of dozens every week, my view is let bigots be bygones and go elsewhere
Life goes on...their cashflow goes down. Win, win from where I'm seeing things. Customers rule.
Have to agree...when you see the numbers that turn up on weds. bikenites,to pubs that then repeat year after year..guarantee some make as much in one evening as the rest of the year put together...and lots of people find they like a pub so much it becomes a regular call-in spot...money talks..
I agree with some others here in that if you don't get in through the door,then just move on. After all I don't want to go where I am not welcome and feel comfortable. Better to go where people respect and understand our peeps. What we don't want is a repeat of a scene like that in the Easyriders movie and the cafe scene.
As far as the legal bit about bikers not been in the discriminative group. Might be true but as well as been bikers,we're people,citizens and humans too. Surely there are some morale rights there too.
Also if we feel strongly about this too,we have a right to complain by letter,petition our objective,lobby our politician(MP) and even use local media and social media to try have a voice. After all the world can see social media instantly and at the end of the day the brewery won't fancy that sort of negative exposure. But at the end of the day will it get results. Probably not as far as letting us peeps through the door,but maybe have a negative affect on their customers who can sympathize with us.
Oh and just to add,with relation to this thread (not sure if this as been done before?) Why cant we have a link on here for friendly biker pubs and establishments throughout the UK and maybe behind
Thanks JP for that clarification. I have noticed this pub geature on other biker sites. So maybe's we can go there. Thought it would be great to have a database of friendly haunts. Then again I can see a privacy and protection issue regarding some landlords. I think it may be better getting their permission before listing,as they might not mind the odd couple of nights and a small group turning up at their door. But worry about a pack of an 100 screeching into the car park. But then again
Agree with some of your comments on pub meets / social meets. I don't think there's a size that fits all - so different groups use various different sources and sites that eventually crossover in some ways, due to the nature of biking groups.
Not so sure a database would work, but area meets of larger groups are always best when planned and discussed with the venues in advance.
For example, jinx posts on here for the Gloucestershire pub meets each week - which are some of the biggest I've ever been to. They have their own site - which is well established and collects for the air ambulance.
Lincolnshire meets are also large and well established. So much so, that they split the groups into cruisers / sports bikes. It's an excellent site, too.
Yorkshire is also well covered - but isn't on its own site. The Biker Guide is usually pretty useful as a start. I guess it's down to the usual enthusiasts drumming up support and keeping things going.
This is a great site for social events - again, organised by long standing members from all over the country....going all over the country!
If you want to post a pub meet, I'm sure you'll get some responses
Thanks Nick for good valid comments. I am a member at HDRGB Harley riders in uk. Yes I ride a Sportster Sshh They have a section on different model of Harley's and different Harley area groups,which advertise events.
I recall in the early 80s when this practice was common by pubs an article about two incidents involving professional men who when wearing Hondastyle leathers (remember them?) were refused service. One was a police inspector who took pleasure in raiding the pub in question when serving out of hours. The other was a business man who took colleagues to the pub which had refused him one lunchtime. After ordering a dozen or so cocktails which were duly mixed, he announced that he had just remembered that he was a motorcyclist and they couldn't serve him. So he left the pub with them untouched but not paid for.
During that period, visiting a Charles Wells pub with a girlfriend with her own bike, we were asked to move our bikes from the front of the pub and remove our leather jackets - because the boss doesn't like motorcycles. We suggested that we wouldn't remain for a drink and left. Writing to the brewery was a waste of time with anodyne replies and the phrase 'you weren't refused service' used several times in their reply. I haven't used a Charles Wells pub since but haven't missed much since Bombardier is a crap pint. However, I hope this has shown that you can get back at them if you are feeling vindictive.
![Sam Smith's Pubs - Ridiculous - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
![Sam Smith's Pubs - Ridiculous - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8desktopLQ.jpg)
