News

August 18, 2008

State tries to halt ladies nights

Bars, clubs can be cited for promotion, but discriminatory practice still goes on.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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Ladies’ nights promotions were once a staple used by bar and club owners to draw more females to their establishments with the mindset that having more women will attract more men and business will prosper.

As gender equality flourished, those types of gimmicks lost some luster and were deemed discriminatory by the state.

The unlawful tactics haven’t been eliminated altogether, however, and some bars continue to skirt the law by offering perks such as free admission and discounted drinks to women but not men.

Some area tavern owners said they’re aware it still happens but don’t do it themselves.

Ron Kamionka, who owns bars across the state including two on Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, said he prefers to keep his liquor license rather than making a few extra bucks.

“I study the liquor law all the time. It’s one thing you don’t mess with,” the owner of the Hardware Bar and the Bourbon Street Saloon said. Bartenders at other area venues, including Bart and Urby’s in Wilkes-Barre, also said they know ladies night promotions are not permitted.

But some area establishments have been cited for violating the law.

That was the case with Best Western Genetti Inn & Suites in Hazle Township. The business was cited June 27 for allegedly admitting female patrons for free but charging an admission for men. The charges are awaiting a hearing before an administrative law judge.

Sgt. Gary S. Severns, with the Wilkes-Barre District Office of the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, said an ad in The Weekender promoting ladies’ night at the bar on that date prompted an officer to check it out and, indeed, found alleged discriminatory admission fee policies. That bureau is an arm of the state police.

“We read The Weekender every week. It’s very common for us to find violations in The Weekender,” Severns said. A perusal through this week’s edition of the weekly entertainment newspaper turned up zero mentions of ladies’ nights.

“Maybe everybody got the message then,” said Ross Kornfeld, a manager at the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Plains Township, which is home to five drinking establishments, none of which offer ladies’ night.

That doesn’t mean they’re not taking place somewhere, Severns added.

“It’s like everyone knows you can’t speed, but go out on (interstate) 81 right now and see what’s going on,” Severns said.

Crackdowns by state police Bureau of Liqour Control Enforcement officers have led to fewer citations through the years but the practice will likely never be eliminated.

Lynn Nyer, an enforcement officer serving the bureau’s eight-county Wilkes-Barre district, said: “You’ll always have someone trying to get away with it.”

According to Severns, six citations have been issued to establishments in the Wilkes-Barre district since February 2007. He said the discrimination violation is not among the top-10 most frequently issued citations the bureau issues annually in the state, but it’s one that continues to pop up even though liquor license owners “should be aware it’s not allowed.”

Nyer said that for the most part those owners are aware, but they roll the dice thinking that the increased business generated by the promotion would more than offset the fine, which can range from $50 to $1,000 depending on the establishment’s prior violation record.

“The fines start out low enough that maybe it will pay for the cost of the fine,” Nyer said.

Kamionka said that “small mentality” is what winds up getting bar owners in trouble. He said he has seen instances of Luzerne County bars using the practice, but he wants none of it.

Even Severns agrees it goes on and sometimes his bureau doesn’t catch it.

With 2,100 establishments in the bureau’s regional district, it’s no easy task. Of course, sometimes the bar owners make it easy for them, like the alleged case with Genetti’s near Hazleton.

Nyer said there’s really no gray area and owners should follow a simple rule if they’re not sure about a promotion.

“Charge everyone the same price no matter what special you offer,” she said.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

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