LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: It’s not uncommon to be turned away from a pub because he’s too young, but it was odd for a man to be turned away because he was ‘too old’. Anthony Severs went to McCooley’s Irish pub in Liverpool, England, around 10pm on July 25 to escape the rain and have a drink.
Severs, who was 76 at the time, was “shocked” when the bouncer told him he was “too old” to get in. He says he has since complained but the pub has yet to apologize and he feels “discriminated against” because of his age.
Regarding the strange situation, the retired shipbuilder said: “It was raining when I left The Grapes and I was soaked. I live not far from the city and when the Arriva bus company went on strike I walked home. But since it was raining I decided to go to McCooley’s to dry off and have a drink.”
“When I got to the top of the stairs, a bouncer told me I couldn’t go in. She told me I was too old when I asked why,” Severs said. “I told him, ‘That’s unfair.’ Then she said nothing. I just left because I was so shocked.”
Anthony, who has a daughter and many grandchildren, said: “How would that make you feel? It didn’t hit me until I walked away. I thought, “Wait, aren’t they too old?” I was shocked. I’ve been drinking around town for about 60 years and nothing like this has ever happened to me.”
Severs said, “Telling someone they’re too old might make them laugh, but it’s not right.” The grandfather didn’t understand what was going on, so he spoke to his daughter about it. He said he drinks on Mathew Street because that’s where he often sees people he knows. She suggested he tell McCooley’s what was going on. But Severs says he was then told to get in touch with the security company that employs the bar.
Severs said: “Once I got my mind together I went to McCooley’s and they said it wasn’t their fault; it belonged to the security company.” “I told her I wanted a personal apology because I was left out.”
McCooley’s has since released the following statement to LADbible in response to the event: “As a bar and restaurant specializing in live music and sporting events, we pride ourselves on creating a fun, vibrant and all-inclusive environment at McCooley’s. We are truly saddened to hear that Mr Severs was left upset and we thank him for bringing this situation to our attention.”
“Mr. Severs was not admitted after leaving the Grapes. His age did not matter and perhaps there was some confusion that evening. Most of our clients are older, especially during the week. He can come back whenever he wants,” the speaker continued. “The outside security person he wanted a personal apology from no longer works for the security company we hired, but the head of the security company that hired them has personally apologized to him.”
“We were told this happened at their city center offices last week. If Mr Severs wants to come back we will definitely take care of him. He had refused to give his information to the security company when he met them, so as the venue we were unable to contact him” the end of the statement. “The Liverpool Echo article was the first time any of McCooley’s managers had heard of the first complaint.”