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How a Local Bar is Fighting to Keep Women Safe

Posted on: Friday, February 25, 2022

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Northend Kitchen+Bar is a relatively new establishment to the Athens community, specifically Court Street. The bar and restaurant had its grand opening in January 2021; since then, the Athens community has welcomed the establishment with open arms. Last school year, everybody was drawn to the bar because it was new to Court Street; when summer arrived, it was the perfect opportunity for all local community members to join in on the fun and try the new restaurant. As the new school year kicked off, Northend has been consistently busy. It is the perfect place to get a margarita after a stressful class or a quesadilla when you don’t feel like eating dining halls anymore. 

  The Problem

Although the place has a warm and welcoming demeanor, not even the bar staff can fully control what goes on Thursday through Saturday nights. Like many college-town bars, there are countless situations where female patrons aren’t comfortable with the advances that male patrons in the bar are making towards them. Often these women don’t know exactly what to do, and if their friends are not nearby, there is no one to help them out of those situations. For that specific reason, the bartenders and staff at Northend created the Angel Shot. This promotional shot is a codeword upon ordering; the bartender will recognize the word angel and know that you might need some help from an uncomfortable situation. The Northend staff plans to create informative posters and hang them in the female restrooms. That way, only the women are informed.

Why Bother?

The goal of the shot is to make a simple way to tell the bartender that you need help without alarming anybody around you. A few managers found similar ideas on social media and realized that not a single bar in Athens, Ohio implemented anything like it. Not only that, but they also realized that none of the local bars were doing anything specific to help keep women safe. They decided to begin this project a few weeks ago and have been working out the logistics ever cents. Most bartenders I spoke to understood that this is not an end-all-be-all solution to the problem women face while drinking in Athens. Still, they firmly believe that if by implementing the shot, they can protect even one woman they will all feel a little bit better in the long run. If you want to stop by Northend Kitchen+Bar, just head to the North end of Court Street, right next to Courtside Pizza.