“No. Shirts, No Shoes, No Service” is a sign occasionally seen outside restaurants, stores, and other business establishments. According to Dave Roos, writing for Howstuffworks.com, these signs trace their origins to the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s when businesses sought to keep “long-haired, tie-dyed, barefooted hippies” out of their establishments. When we see such signs today most of us rarely raise an eyebrow.

Eyebrows have been raised, however, at the rather unusual admissions policy of the Alibi Cocktail & Karaoke Bar in the town of Altrincham, England. The sign at the entrance is unequivocal – after 9pm single unaccompanied adults will not be allowed to enter. In other words, if you fancy going into Alibi by yourself for a couple of drinks after 9pm you are out of luck.

While the policy has been in place since the bar opened in 2022 it seems that it is only recently that it has received media attention, both in the UK and overseas. In an interview with the BBC, owner Carl Peters said that the policy was designed to “mitigate risk” and “protect his customers” from being “mithered” by solo drinkers. The risk being mitigated apparently is the possibility that a solo customer might have a medical emergency such as a seizure. If they are part of a group the likelihood is that a member of the group may know something about the individual’s medical history, know if there is a family member they can call, or take care of them in some other fashion. I am not quite sure what happens if a solo drinker should happen to experience such an event before 9pm. It seems a rather obtuse justification for the said policy. Yet if the rule has been in place since the bar first opened, one is left to wonder whether he managed or owned another venue where this proved to be a problem. In any event, it is his bar and, unless he violates the UK’s Equality Act, he has the right to deny entry to anyone he chooses.

The second reason Mr, Clark gives for denying entry to solo drinkers after 9pm is a fear that other customers may be “mithered” by them. Mithered – now there’s a great word. Mither is a word in common use in northern England . When used as a verb it means to pester or annoy. While its origins are uncertain, it may be derived from 17th century Welsh. So Mr. Clark is worried about single drinkers pestering his patrons who are there as part of a group. As with the issue of solo drinkers potentially having a medical emergency this seems a rather bizarre reason for denying them entry. Again, it is possible that Mr. Clark has had past instances of this being a problem. As noted by Gary Timmons of The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) organization, bar owners are in the best position to “judge what’s best for both their business, staff, and customers” and that it is up to each establishment to “establish rules which reflect their clientele”.

Bar employees at other pubs in the Greater Manchester region (where Alibi is located) are somewhat bemused by Alibi’s admission policy. Mike Ramsden, manager at Tariff and Dale Bar and Restaurant, noted that single customers were very common in his bar and that he could “see no reason why a single person would be an issue.” Indeed, dropping in alone for a drink, he noted, is entirely normal. As he explained, “there are a lot of places around here where people come in, sit at the bar by themselves, and chat with the bartenders.”

Christopher Rawlinson, general manager at The Salmon of Knowledge pub noted that pubs and bars are designed for people to gather and meet other people. He went on to say that, “It’s the blokes on their own that keep this industry ticking over. We have plenty of customers who come in alone, some with their dogs, some to watch sport.”

Mr. Rawlinson’s remark about bars as places of gathering prompted me to reflect on the role that pubs and bars play as Third Places. The term Third Place was coined by the urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the early 1980s. Oldenburg defined Third Places as “nothing more than informal public gathering places”. Writing for the Brookings Institution Stuart M. Butler and Carmen characterize them as places where we “exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships”, while Michael Hickey refers to them as “the living room of society”. Central to Oldenburg’s conception is that Third Places should be inclusive and accessible: no one, in principle, should be excluded. While pubs and bars do impose certain restrictions—most notably age requirements—I am not aware of any that deny entry simply because an individual is not part of a group.

From my perspective, Alibi’s entry restrictions violate both the spirit and intent of Oldenburg’s concept of the Third Place, and that is regrettable. Third Places such as pubs and bars play an important role in modern societies, not least in helping to combat loneliness. Loneliness has become a significant societal problem both in the UK and other countries, with the U.S. Surgeon General characterizing it as an epidemic. A 2024 report by the UK Government found that 7% of people in England (approximately 3.1 million people) said they felt lonely often or always, while British Red Cross estimate the number at 9 million. The not-for-profit Campaign to End Loneliness note that “pubs are important places encouraging vital social connections and interactions“, while a 2018 report by the Royal Society for Public Health emphasized the role that British pubs play as community Third Places. Policies that exclude individuals simply for arriving alone risk undermining this social function and, in doing so, diminish the broader public value these spaces can provide.

In a recent report titled “Open Arms: The Role of Pubs in Tackling Loneliness” Thomas Thurnell-Read, a sociologist at Loughborough University in the UK, wrote:

“Above all, pubs must feel inclusive and welcoming. Across the research, the most prominent examples of pubs playing a social role in their local communities tended to be those that catered to a range of customers and made people feel welcome and valued“.

In his report Dr. Thurnell-Read provides some examples of pubs that go out of their way to cater to single drinkers. One example he cites is a pub in the southeast of England which had created “Join Me’ cards. Customers can place these on their table indicating that they were amenable to being joined in conversation. Staff members were also encouraged to go out of their way to engage with these customers.

The not-for-profit Pub is The Hub organization recognizes the important role pubs can play in reducing loneliness. Its “Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness” campaign includes a practical guide to help pub owners and staff understand loneliness, its effects, and simple actions they can take to make a meaningful difference.

Sadly, the number of British pubs is declining. Between 2000 and 2024 the number of pubs in the UK fell by 26.2% from ~61,000 to ~45,000., with a further 540 closures forecast for 2026.Inflation, higher taxes on alcohol and hikes in wage and energy costs have all contributed to this decrease.

As someone who does a fair amount of solo travel, I often find myself going to bars and having a drink on my own. While I enjoy spending time at a bar with friends, I am equally comfortable drinking solo. In a recent article on solo drinkers, Javier Porter suggests that it can be “a liberating and enjoyable experience . . . a time for self-reflection and introspection . . . to escape the pressures of social expectations and simply enjoy their own company”. I have to say that Mr. Porter’s words resonate with me. When I go to a bar by myself, any conversation I have is usually with the bartender. I am not one to start conversations with strangers, although I am happy to engage in one if someone else instiates it.

On a recent journey home from Košice, Slovakia, I overnighted at the Sheraton Hotel at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. After checking in, I went down to the hotel bar for a few beers. When I’m drinking solo, I typically sit at the bar, and this time was no exception. I was the only person there until about halfway through my first Heineken, when someone else took a seat a few stools away. He made an offhand comment about something or other, and before long we were engaged in an easy, enjoyable conversation. He turned out to be from Texas and was en route to India on business.

Soon after, two others arrived and joined our conversation – a retiree from Florida and a younger woman from California – as did our bartender, Michael. The conversation quickly broadened, moving across a wide range of topics and turning what began as a quiet beer into an unexpectedly memorable evening of shared stories and conversation.

It seems a great pity that, at a time when the number of pubs is declining and loneliness is increasingly recognized as a social problem, one particular pub would adopt a policy that does not welcome solo drinkers after 9:00 p.m. Admittedly, it is only a single establishment, and the policy applies only during the later evening hours. Still, the message it sends feels at odds with the role that pubs and bars have long played as inclusive social spaces.

Further Reading:

Oldenburg, Ramon and Dennis. 1982. The third place. Qualitative Sociology, Volume 5, Pages 265–284.

Thurnell-Read, Thomas. Open Arms: The Role of Pubs in Tackling Loneliness. Loughborough University.