Women are crediting a Georgia brewery’s job well-done after one of its bartenders successfully removed a man who was making unwanted advancements toward women.
It happened because the relatively-new brewhouse implemented a plan: If any woman felt uncomfortable or in danger, she could let a bartender know she wasn’t OK via a secret code word.
Red Top Brewhouse, which opened in Acworth in August, used its plan for the first time over the weekend on April 10.
"There was a gentleman that was being inappropriate towards a couple of middle-aged women who were sitting at the bar with me. I could tell from the time he sat down the attention was unwanted," Jacob Crossan, the bartender who escorted the man out of the brewhouse, explained to 11 Alive.
The Brewhouse shared a note on Facebook explaining what happened and the importance of continuing its efforts to make all customers feel safe. The post has since garnered more than 2,000 reactions, more than 340 comments and more than 760 shares as of Tuesday (April 20). Many commenters were women, thanking them for their efforts.
Here’s what Red Top Brewhouse said:
Friends,
Over the weekend, we had an unfortunate situation in which we had to intervene on a woman’s behalf due to a male insistence upon thinking he was invited into her personal space when it was clear that he was not. Before opening Red Top Brewhouse, we agreed that the safety of our female guests is paramount. We put measures in place, we trained our staff to be eyes up to recognize the signs of distress or discomfort. This young woman took advantage of one of these safety measures that we have in place and alerted our bartender that she was not okay via a codeword. Immediately action was taken and the gentleman was escorted out of the building without further incident.
Under zero circumstances is it permissible for a guest or staff member to be made to feel uncomfortable because of their gender because another’s gender makes them feel entitled to do so. While we are proud of our staff for how this situation was handled, the fact that it happened is sad and disturbing to us all. Red Top Brewhouse is supposed to be your home away from home, a safe space for your friends and family to gather over great food and drink. We want you to be comfortable in our home, as it is your home as well.
Lastly, we want to publicly recognize our bartender, Jacob. He saw that this guest was distressed, he immediately identified with the codeword she gave him and immediately escorted the person out of the building. We couldn’t be prouder of how you stepped up in this time of need.
Ladies, if you are in a position similar to this and you need help, please refer to our selfie mirror in the women’s room downstairs and in the women’s room upstairs. We’ve got your back.
This is who we are.
Red Top Brewhouse is located at 4637 South Main St. in Acworth.
Photo: Getty Images