Mandatory Identification Bar Checks: How Bouncers Are Doing Their Job

Authors

Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
John Allen, Old Dominion University
John Casten, Old Dominion University
Catherine Cowling, Old Dominion University
Charles Gray, Old Dominion University
David Guhr, Old Dominion University
Kara Hoofnagle, Old Dominion University
Jessica Huffman, Old Dominion University
Moises Mina, Old Dominion University
Brian Moore, Old Dominion University

Abstract

The behavior of bouncers at on site establishments that served alcohol was observed. Our aim was to better understand how bouncers went about their job when the bar had a mandatory policy to check identification of all customers. Utilizing an ethnographic decision model, we found that bouncers were significantly more likely to card customers that were more casually dressed than others, those who were in their 30s, and those in mixed racial groups. We posit that bouncers who failed to ask for identification did so because they appeared to know customers, they appeared to be of age, or they took a break and no one was checking for identification at the door. We found that bouncers presented a commanding presence by their dress and demeanor. Bouncers, we posit, function in three primary roles: customer relations, state law management, and establishment rule enforcer.

Keywords

Bouncers, Bars, and Identification Checks

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1045

Recommended APA Citation

Monk-Turner, E., Allen, J., Casten, J., Cowling, C., Gray, C., Guhr, D., Hoofnagle, K., Huffman, J., Mina, M., & Moore, B. (2011). Mandatory Identification Bar Checks: How Bouncers Are Doing Their Job. The Qualitative Report, 16(1), 180-191. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1045