The Great Northern — Restaurant in San Francisco

I really wanted to like this place. Aside from the sound system being slightly off, and the drinks way overpriced for being pre mixed, ($12 for a shity pre-made cocktail!!) the atmosphere and dancers they had were beautiful. The real reason I am giving this venue one star is their terrible, incompetent security staff. I enter and they do the initial bag check, no pat down . They don't check the man I'm with at all. The security guard pulls out my keys and tells me that I can't bring them in because I have a beer/wine bottle corkscrew attached to them. I was shocked. I have had this on my keys for the past 10 years, traveled through Tsa security check points with it as well as gone in to hundreds of concerts, night clubs, and music festivals with it. Was he scared I was going to stab someone with it? Fearful I would open a bottle of wine on the dance floor? Let's be real, every one knows I could have hurt someone more with my own hands, or the pen in my bag. And the lack of even attempting to pat anyone down, if someone is going to bring a real weapon in I'm sure it would be hidden on their body. Not in their purse. The corkscrew is about as sharp and harmful as everyone else's keys that they were all allowed to bring in. Also as a women, clubs like this are a high traffic area for sexual assault. So he also prevent me from leaving if I needed to in an emergency. As I prepaid for my $20 tickets, I clearly had no choice but to let him hold on to them. I said that they better be right here at the entrance when I want to leave or I would raise hell.time comes to leave and sure enough he is not around. The other security guards were polite enough as I waited. 20 damn minutes I waited for him to come from where ever the hell he was. At this point I was livid. If you are going to take someone's keys away from them at least leave them at the entrance so they can leave when they want to! When he finally arrived he walked right past me, and back into another crowd to deal with something else. When he gave them he said a few incredibly rude, and condescending things that I do not want to repeat out loud. Sexist p. o. s. I have never felt more disrespected, or like a hostage at an event that should be fun. As much as I would like to go back to this venue, I can't see myself giving money to this group of inconsiderate...

I want to share a deeply concerning experience I had at The Great Northern in San Francisco. I was harassed and physically pushed by a security guard named Joe while visiting the venue. He made aggressive comments, blamed me for personal issues unrelated to the event, and escalated the situation to the point where others had to intervene.

After reporting this incident to The Great Northern management, I expected my complaint to be handled professionally and confidentially. Instead, to my shock, they shared my private complaint directly with Joe. This led to a hostile and vulgar response from him, which I now have in writing.

This breach of confidentiality and lack of accountability has left me feeling unsafe and unsupported as a patron. No one should have to endure this level of unprofessionalism or retaliation for speaking up about mistreatment.

I’m calling on The Great Northern to:

Publicly address this incident and apologize for their mishandling of my complaint.

Implement policies to ensure all complaints are handled confidentially and with respect in the future.

Take immediate action to ensure the safety of their patrons.

To others visiting this venue: please be cautious. I hope this prompts The Great Northern to reflect on how they handle patron concerns and prioritize the safety and dignity of...

The Great Northern has grown to be one of my favorite venues for nightlife entertainment within the past 7 years I've lived in San Francisco! The location is optimally nestled in between the Mission District & Portrero Hill, just below the rest of downtown. The room is very well curated, as the sound system and the aesthetics of the venue compliment any artist who is scheduled to perform. The staff at The Great Northern is what really makes this place a hot spot destination. It's not uncommon to see a disturbingly long line of attendees in front of nightclubs in San Francisco, with wait times leading up to multiple hours. The FOH staff does an incredible job at guiding the herd of people, and the attendees seem to have a better attitude because of so. Bartenders, security, and the works make this place one of the best the City has to offer! One particular staff member, Moon, has been such a pleasure to interact with every time we happen to cross paths. If I ever seek guidance or assistance, he is always there to point me in the right direction (and with a smile at that!). Very much looking forward to my next show at The Great...