CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | Contact
In a landmark decision for the River City, iconic watering-hole The Brown Snake Hotel is the first Brisbane pub that will now allow entry to male patrons not wearing R.M Williams boots.
Local publican, Gorden Langer says management came to the decision last year when US Navy warship USS Blue Ridge sailed into Brisbane to take part in joint military training exercises.
“We had to deny entry to about 55 US Marines at the front door. Their government-issue footwear just wasn’t up to scratch,”
“Don’t get me wrong, they were very well kept young men, but they must have missed the memo when they sailed in under the Gateway,”
Mr Langer says that on top of missing out on thousands of dollars worth of business, he also felt as though it was Brisbane’s tough dress code that contributed to the ensuing brawl that broke out between the cranky servicemen and the Redcliffe Dolphins under 20s side, who just happened to walking past during the dispute.
“We could have just let those fellas in and it would have been fine, but instead we ended up with about eight blokes in hospital, including two members of my security staff,”
“I’m happy to bend on the compulsory R.M Williams dress code for tourists and visitors,”
“We lifted it for female patrons about twenty years ago, when high heels were big,”
While the Brown Snake Hotel is set to be the first licensed venue in the South-East Corner to allow patrons not wearing hand-made leather dress boots, management still reserve the right to deny entry to people not wearing button-up striped shirts and slim-cut moleskin trousers.
“Obviously you still need to wear a collar”
“We aren’t in Townsville,” he said.
See Also: Townsville Man Accused Of Being An Undercover Cop After Wearing Closed-In Shoes To the Pub
