benjispears micky's

https://www.tiktok.com/@benjispears

‘We are being removed because my friend wouldn’t sleep with the bartender’: TikToker says friend got kicked out of a bar because he turned bartender down on Grindr

L.A. gay bar Micky's is now being flooded with negative reviews on Yelp.

 

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

IRL

Posted on Nov 16, 2021   Updated on Nov 16, 2021, 12:18 pm CST

A gay bar in West Hollywood is under fire this week, thanks to a viral allegation on TikTok. According to TikToker @benjispears, a bartender at Micky’s West Hollywood called security on a man who turned him down on Grindr.

“My friend, who’s a boy, refused to sleep with a bartender,” Spears says in a TikTok filmed at the nightclub. “And now they’re kicking us out. If this was a woman, that wouldn’t happen.”

He calls on his 988,000 followers to complain to Micky’s on social media. This was exactly the kind of issue that his followers would care about, because @benjispears specializes in vlogs about bartending and nightlife.

The original video shows @benjispears being refunded for his drink by the bar’s manager, who ignores his accusation that an employee had ulterior motives for calling security.

@benjispears

We were just kicked out of Mickeys in West Hollywood bc my bestie turned down an employee and they had us removed. Regulars blow this up! What if this was a woman. He said no and now we can’t go there #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #serverlife #bartender #trend

♬ original sound – Benjispears

The video has now been viewed over 900,000 times, leading to a deluge of negative reviews for Micky’s. The bar’s Yelp page is down to a 2.5 star rating thanks to reviews like this: “Kicking out and trying to humiliate paying customers is not acceptable,” and “The disgusting display of sexual harassment has me sick to my stomach.”

Meanwhile on Tripadvisor, the bar’s page is full of comments like, “Gross misconduct, throwing someone out because they wouldn’t sleep with your staff. That’s outrageous!”

Benji Spears posted two more updates, giving a bit more context on what allegedly happened. He says that when they first arrived at Micky’s, his friend mentioned that he’d just turned down one of the bartenders on Grindr. Spears says that as soon as this bartender saw them arrive, he called security and had Spears and his friend kicked out of the club. They were told they were being removed for “endangering others,” Spears says.

Describing the security team as coming at them like “a pack of wolves,” Spears says, “That’s bullying. And it’s actually sexual harassment, because now we’re getting removed because my friend turned you down on Grindr.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@benjispears/video/7030929581565594886

“Why I’m sad is, that club literally was my favorite club,” says Spears, the morning after his original post. “Every single Tuesday, that club was my spot. Sadly, obviously I’m not gonna go back there any more.”

“My brand is comedy, laughter, my goal is to make you guys laugh,” he adds. “But most importantly, I use my brand to help educate, and to focus on keeping bar patrons safe. I make videos to teach everyone to keep themselves safe… and that’s why I was so passionate and upset last night.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Micky’s and @benjispears for comment.


Today’s top stories

‘Fill her up’: Bartender gives woman a glass of water when the man she’s with orders tequila shot
‘I don’t think my store has even sold one’: Whataburger employees take picture with first customer who bought a burger box
‘It was a template used by anyone in the company’: Travel agent’s ‘condescending’ out-of-office email reply sparks debate
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
Share this article
*First Published: Nov 16, 2021, 10:42 am CST