Cornerstone Grill and Loft
When SGA president Patrick Ronk walked by Cornerstone Grill & Loft after a night at R.J. Bentley’s, a sign caught his eye.
“I noticed a sign that roughly said they don’t allow patrons to wear do-rags, basketball jerseys, sagging pants, or ‘urban wear’ of any kind,” he posted on Facebook. “This seemed kind of off to me, so I mentioned out loud that I didn’t think their dress code was right.”
A bouncer heard the comment and responded, according to Ronk: “You’re not black, dude. You don’t have to worry about this.”
Chris Wood, Cornerstone’s bar and security manager, said his establishment’s code does not target a specific demographic.
“It goes for anyone — any race or ethnicity,” he said. “I’ve seen every race wear these garments.”
The dress code in question bans bandanas, do-rags, cut-off shirts, sports jerseys (except pro/college game days), swim wear, athletic shorts, sweatpants or sweat shorts. It asks patrons to “dress to impress” and stipulates that pants and shorts must be worn around the waist.
If this dress code sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the exact same as R.J. Bentley’s.
Looney’s has a similar dress code, banning urban wear, baggy clothing, long or sleeveless shirts, tank tops, wifebeaters, large chains, bandanas, skullies, do-rags, large shorts, large logos and patchwork pants. It finishes with the requirement that all hats must be worn properly and all chains tucked into undershirts.
Wood, who has worked with Cornerstone for 10 years and 7 months, said he finds the insinuation that employees were racist “personally upsetting.”
“It’s absurd and it’s personally hurtful as an African American running a business for this long to hear the suggestion that these guys are racist,” Wood said. “It’s just wrong.”
READ MORE: Best bar deals and specials around College Park
Regardless of whether the bars’ dress codes target a specific demographic, employees at both Looney’s Pub and R.J. Bentley’s said the codes are not typically enforced.
Carolina Parra, a server at Bentley’s and junior government and politics major, has worked the bar’s door on weekend nights, and said she’d never seen someone prevented from entering based on his or her attire.
Emma Whisted, a hostess at Looney’s, echoed these sentiments and added that, for Looney’s, the dress code dates back to that location’s opening. Because Looney’s is a franchised establishment, the corporation was responsible for the dress code, she said.
Backyard Sports Grill, meanwhile, has no dress code, bartender Kashmere Dyson said.
READ MORE: Backyard Sports Grill could get sanctioned for July altercation
A Terrapin’s Turf employee said the bar had no official dress code for patrons, but a manager could not be reached to confirm this statement.
As for Cornerstone, Wood said the dress code is not that strict and that employees often try to work with patrons to help them meet the code.
“They’ll be like, ‘Can you take that off and put it in your car and come back?’” Wood said, referring to jerseys, bandanas and do-rags — items he said most frequently caused problems for patrons. “It’s more of alerting people. Like, ‘Hey, maybe I should straighten up.’”
Here’s Patrick Ronk’s full post:
LATEST DBK+CONTEXT
[ READ MORE: UMD SGA won’t endorse City Council candidates for upcoming election ][ READ MORE: Maryland gave Bill Cosby an honorary degree. Should they rescind it? ][ READ MORE: Inside Maryland’s deep, detailed emergency preparedness hub ]
