Bouncer Chronicles - 5- Listen to the jungle sounds

Listen to the jungle sounds.
It was three months since we opened Michael's Place.  We had gotten the kinks out and the nightclub was really cooking.  We were off to a great start.  Anyone who did not arrive before 9 pm usually had to wait in line to get in, we were that kind of busy.

Being a new club we had the drinks flowing, the music blasting  and the crowd was revved up.  Week after week we had picked up steam and business did not seem like it could not get any better.  The dress code was keeping the clientele civilized and we met so many nice people.  And just then my college roommate who was also bartending jinxed us.

"You know we have been open for three months and we have not had even one fight yet"

 And then it just exploded.  Across the room a crowd of patrons had come together in a close group.  With the darkly lit atmosphere and the loud music we had not seen the conditions change.  The crowd in that area appeared to sway back and forth kind of like a school of fish darting back and forth.  We then noticed the animated movement, then the fists started flying.

By the time we had made our way over it was a full out brawl.  Five or more people were exchanging blows and people had stepped back from the melee.  We started ripping people apart and throwing them to the ground.  As soon as we did that the action stopped.  That was our baptism into bouncing at the new bar.  This was always followed by an after action meeting on how we could have done it better.

The key takeaway.  Keep scanning your environment for a change in the rhythm.  Just like in the jungle, when it gets quiet a predator is near.

Stay safe!

Mike Bogdanski

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