A the perfect night goes like this: lots of flirting with the girls, no problem, maybe a little messing around with the staff, good music, everyone having fun, maybe a beer after the closing time – then home to bed. I can even go skiing the next day.
A bad night has nothing to do with it.
I had one recently where there were 15 fights, three broken noses, the police came, ambulances came. . . it was wild. A fight every 20 minutes. Guests come from all over, many British and French, and the problems are almost always alcohol related. We can have very busy nights where there are no problems, then others where everything starts; you never know which one it is will be.
There are a lot of drugs in the stations. Recently I had a guy drop a huge bag of coke on the floor in front of me. I was like, “Are you really kidding?” People always come to me asking for drugs too. Normally I can tell when it’s happening and say, “Think carefully about what you’re going to say before you say it.” Think carefully. Normally they leave. Sometimes I tell them I don’t have anything, but I know someone who does, then I give them directions around town and never let them in.
“We want people to come and drink shots, go crazy – but not cross the line. It’s a bit fucked up
ALAMY
Men far outnumber women, about five to one. Kites make matters worse. There are a lot fewer problems when there are more girls in the bar. However, I had to expel some women. Once I was kicked in the shins by a girl wearing ski boots. When I kicked her out, a bunch of guys were like, “You can’t do that!” It took a few explanations.
I’ve been involved in horrible incidents, unfortunately. I was never seriously injured but got four punches, two bottles thrown at me, a pool cue cracked in my back, a chair was thrown at me, a bottle got thrown at me. got smashed into a bar and held up to me, and someone once tried to chop my head off with a snowboard. You get those choice moments of violence that can leave an impression.
We receive visits from really authorized people; the guys trying to buy their way in when it’s full. From time to time we also hear about strange things. A few years ago there was a guy who was divorcing his wife and wanted to try and get rid of his money before the settlement. I heard he had a night where he spent over £80,000.
We are a party bar so the whole concept can be a nightmare. There are people who fuck all the time in the toilet. I’ve seen grown men shit themselves. I am not joking. Some of the CCTV footage we have is amazing.
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We want people to come and drink shots, go crazy, get two for one – but don’t drink too much or they’ll be kicked out unceremoniously. It’s kind of like, “Come here, spend a lot of money, drink 18 pints and four sambucas – but also make sure you have the best possible behavior.” It’s a bit fucked up.
At the end of each season I say I’m not doing it again, but each year the new season comes and the boss calls, offers a little more money, nice accommodation. . . and I find myself going there. Work still yields more than enough.
I don’t like fighting and I’m not aggressive, but obviously something is holding me back. I think it must be the adrenaline.
As said to Jamie Lafferty
