Around the start of the spring semester, downtown Clemson restaurant and bar Itsurwiener bouncers began using alcohol-detecting wands and checking two forms of identification of everyone attempting to enter the bar.
Itsurwiener has been experiencing high schoolers seeking entry, according to owner John Agostino, also known to the Clemson community as “Mr. Wien.” To combat this, bouncers are now requiring people to present two forms of identification before they’re allowed in.
“We’ve been having some issues with some high schoolers getting in, and so we’re stopping that,” Mr. Wien told The Tiger in an interview. “You have to at least have a license and a college ID.”
Mr. Wien also noted that if someone doesn’t have a college ID, they must provide an alternate form of identification, such as a passport.
“You would have to be at least not in high school,” he continued.
In addition to this new double identification system, Itsurwiener bouncers are scanning people with handheld wands, as Mr. Wien defines them, as they enter the bar. This is to ensure that people are not entering with alcohol.
“Basically, we’re having too many people sneaking in beers and drinks and stuff like that, so we’re just trying to stop that,” Mr. Wien told The Tiger. “If we happen to find somebody with a gun while we’re doing it, then so be it. But it’s mostly just to stop people from sneaking in beer.”
Mr. Wien noted that Itsurwiener has collected enough alcohol from individuals to amount to “a couple of cases.”
However, some are mistaking these wands for metal detectors.
“I noticed metal detectors at Itsurwiener over the past weekend during the Banana Bar Crawl,” Rowan Howell, junior graphic communications major, told The Tiger in an interview. “I think using stricter ID checks and metal detectors is very beneficial with the recent concerns of drink spiking and ensuring the safety of students and underaged individuals.”
The Banana Bar Crawl is a collegiate event across the United States and Canada that visited Clemson this past weekend. Participants could buy a ticket on the Banana Bar Crawl website, which included a banana costume, entry to all participating bars, special drink deals and opportunities to win prizes from companies Banana Bar Crawl, Happy Dad, GuestList and SharpStakes.
The participating bars included Itsurwiener, Roar Bar and Tacos, Study Hall Restaurant and Bar, Tiger Town Tavern, Backstreets Pub and Grill, TD’s of Clemson, Charleston Sports Pub and more.
