Jackhammer — Restaurant in Rogers Park Township

Despite claiming to be inclusionary, we were denied entry to the lower level. We read the rules and visited your website and facebook page before coming, to check the theme and for any events or rule changes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We've been here before the pandemic, and after, and are aware of the dress code policy. We brought friends from out of town, just to come to your bar, primarily to enjoy the lower level. There were four of us, two of which could have passed the code without undressing. We were going to use the coat check downstairs. There is no way to know what we had on under our winter clothes as it was below freezing outside. Also, underwear isn't a fetish? We were told it was the remodel that changed being able to let us in, which is not true, since we had no issues getting in previously. We were offered a coupon to go next-door and purchase gear. Like, what? So, we go ask them if they could explain what would get us in, and got a conflicting explanations (to the hole guard's, and their own) on why we couldn't enter your space, including "looking like a skinhead would get us in" and "getting in trouble with the city" and "because of covid" and "the policy is stupid" Like what?? If you are going to practice discrimination and try to gatekeep your own exclusive space, denying entry without an explanation that makes any sense, good luck with that business practice. Hopefully, others read this and don't waste their time trying to be "included". If you don't fit into their profile and look, you are not welcome here. (You're welcome for this feedback): Also, we had a small sling fanny pack and there was no mention of searching it or checking it as we entered until we were enjoying ourselves upstairs, only to be interrupted with the need to pay to check it? We were finishing our drinks and were heading downstairs(so we thought, only to be denied entry) where we planned to check the bag. Understand the need to search/check bags as everyone needs to be kept safe, but we made it all the way into your bar! What if we had something in the bag with bad intent? Figure that out. Hopefully, this review...

Love lip service karaoke nights. The DJ and the host are great people and make for a great night. My partner usually gets beers for himself and I generally am sober so I pay and tip for virgin drinks and sodas for myself. I also got free regular tap water in a glass on top of this.

Tonight (Feb 28, 2024) we came as usual for lip service and with my partner's first can of PBR he asked for a glass of tap water for me. The bartender refused him and said the bar "doesn't do that" and he can only get water bottles which were $3 per bottle. Funny thing is he later saw several other people get glasses of tap water with no issues whatsoever. This was after he bought 3 bottles of water. When he pointed this out he FINALLY got a single glass of tap water.

It was already ridiculous that sodas and juices were charged nearly the same as mixed drinks/cocktails, but LITERAL TAP WATER??? I can't imagine that this was not a problem with us as individuals because it makes no sense to reject specifically us and not others around us.

My partner bought about 3 or 4 cans of PBR, by the way, on top of the 3 bottles of water.

Totally gross service at the front bar despite everything else being cool.

Edit: Yikes on bikes at that owner response.

Apparently buying soda and juice isn't enough to justify free tap water. The bartender didn't tell my boyfriend that even though I wasn't with him when he bought his first BEER.

We only didn't buy juice and soda this time BECAUSE the bartender made it seem like we would have to pay for BOTH bottled water and juice/soda. Plus, when I told people how much juices and sodas cost (about $4-5) my friends who were there informed me that they usually pay $5-7 or so for their drinks.

Maybe I misremembered/misunderstood and it was not mixed drinks they mentioned, but they definitely got defensive for me that non-alcoholic drinks shouldn't cost nearly the same as...

This isn’t an inclusive/safe space. Their fetish theme and enforcement of it is based any individual, random employees discretion. The door man will let you in and after you’re there and comfortable, someone will approach you and tell you it’s not enough even though you’re practically naked. I was duped into thinking this bar was accepting of everyone and everyone’s fetish. Don’t do the same.

In response to the owner:

Thanks for responding but I won’t be emailing as I’d like for anyone looking at reviews to take this into consideration as there are multiple options to consider when looking for a bar to express themselves (and spend money at). You’re correct, the dress code rules are posted in a lot of places. I didn’t imply that I wasn’t aware of your rules. As for random employees discretion- what do you call it when the Hole guard takes a look at the singlet you are wearing, allows you to go downstairs, you undress and get comfortable and then are approached by a random employee and based on this employees discretion you are asked to leave? How’s that not a random employees discretion? They weren’t my bartender. They weren’t the Hole guard. In the rules that you assume I haven’t read it states that it’s up to the Hole guards discretion. It’s embarrassing, it’s not necessary and the message wasn’t delivered in a respectful way. I understand why you have a dress code and why it’s to keep the area exclusive and prevent the “gawkers” as you put it in a different response. I actually appreciate that rule. You can trust that when I wear a singlet I am not there to gawk. I am there to be part of a community and I’m there to feel safe. This experience changed that and I won’t trust myself or my friends with the whatever environment you think...