Bedouin Double Bay, an Australian restaurant and nightclub, is attracting outrage after excluding customers with visible tattoos from dining there. Customers with obvious tattoos should cover them up, avoid wearing branded attire, and avoid wearing heavy jewelry, according to a recent notice from the upmarket Middle Eastern-style eatery.
Restaurant Bans People With Tattoos To 'Discourage Intimidating Appearances'
By
Haider Ali in
Tattoos
On 26th February 2022
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"We value our customers and community stakeholders and have always implemented house rules that include a dress policy that discourages intimidating appearances," Bedouin co-licensee Poata Okeroa told The Daily Telegraph.
Bedouin Double Bay is a three-year-old Bedouin restaurant in Sydney's eastern suburbs. On weekends, the restaurant transforms into a nightclub after 10 p.m.
Richard Dobson
The new clothing rule has sparked a lot of discussion on social media, with many people believing the restaurant is discriminatory.
Others have pointed out that the restaurant's dress code requirement is not discriminatory if it applies to all customers, even celebrities.
Richard Dobson
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The tattoo and wardrobe policy also applies to the restaurant's personnel, according to the restaurant.
Chef Michael Mcelroy, who works at a restaurant in Manley, UK, and has tattoos on his neck and arms, told 7News that the new limits had left him seething.
Richard Dobson
He said: “I’ve never heard of this policy in Australia, I have head and arm tattoos, and not once when dining out has this come up until recently. Hearing they are now introducing these rules is a shame.”
He went on to say that restrictions on tattoos were widespread practice in the profession a few years ago, according to his coworkers.
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“To hear we are going back to these rules is upsetting,” he added.
“I love to eat out at restaurants, so sooner or later, this will start to affect my dining experiences.”