Headlines

April 17, 2008

Boston bans bottle service...

Boston Herald | Read Full Story >

The party is coming to an end for Grey Goose-swilling big shots as the city’s licensing czar says he’s banning “bottle service,” an expensive perk that draws high-rollers to Hub hotspots.

The service – a staple in exclusive nightclubs from Miami to Manhattan to Las Vegas – allows big spenders to have private VIP tables in exchange for purchasing a bottle of high-end booze, usually for $300 or more. Servers bring buckets of ice, tumblers and non-alcoholic mixers to make cocktails.

But Boston Licensing Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski is cracking down, saying the pricey service violates state and city alcohol laws.

“This is totally prohibited and it won’t be tolerated,” Pokaski said. “It’s not going to happen in Boston. It’s just wrong. It forces alcohol consumption.


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#1 Concerned Citizen says:

Mr. Pokaski is clearly confused as to the purpose of and merits behind bottle service. The privilege that comes with the purchase is not the right to get drunk, but the right to have access to the table. Would he feel better if the clubs officially charged 300 to rent the table and then threw in the bottle for free? (That is in essence what's happening.). The people spending 300 on a bottle will not be forced to finish it in order to get their money's worth- do you really think people who are that cheap would throw 300 on a bottle anyhow?

#2 D.A says:

first of all you get a bottle and a table so you do not have to A. Wait in line out in the cold / rain or any other weather condition because those of us that frequent the clubs know they use that as a ploy to make the club look more packed than it is... B. Those of us that want to go out and enjoy the company of our friends and listen to music and do not want to stand up all night and get bumbed into by the drunken patrons on the dance floor.. Or even worse at the bar wich takes forever to get a drink would rather spend the extra money to have a separate area where there space cant be invaded by every drunken person in the club... Some of us do not mind paying over a 200% mark up price to recieve the exclusiveity that V.I.P gives you... Its not the fact that we are buying the bottle to get drunk... We are buying a lifestyle that some of us enjoy... Not to be like everyone else ( sheep ) is what I would call them hurding on the dance floor like a bunch of drunken fools....most of the problems that occur at the clubs are from the ppl in the crowd not the guest spending $300 to go out... No one wants to spend that type of money to get thrown out for something stupid... But the person spending on an average $50 doesnt have that same concern... All Boston is doing is driving the money out of town its bad enough the club ends at 1:30 am 2:00am now I cant get a bottle and a table.... Booooooooo that!!!!!!


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