“Doormen,” “bouncers” or “security guards” are just a few titles given to the unsung heroes of campus bar life, most often known as “door guys.”
Checking IDs, managing crowds and collecting cover payments, the position of a door guy may not be the most conventional job to assume at the University. Yet door guys are necessary pillars who support the local bar scene and ensure the safety and well-being of bar-goers.
Their insights into being on the front lines of students’ wild nights out offer a unique perspective on the drinking culture in Champaign-Urbana.
“It’s more than just checking IDs and bouncing,” said Robert Rojas, senior in AHS. “That person’s in charge of letting people in — who to let in, who to not let in, who to kick out.”
Rojas has worked as a door guy at Brothers since August and has experienced the trials of the job.
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“It’s kind of a double-edged sword, because there’s a lot of rude people you have to deal with, and it’s not just people who are intoxicated, it’s more just people who just don’t have manners,” Rojas said.
While Rojas said he’s had his share of polite, kind guests, he added that those moments don’t happen often.
Rojas recalled an encounter with two women who insisted they shouldn’t have to pay cover because one of them would turn 21 at midnight.
According to Rojas, he was not permitted to waive cover for the pair. As a result, the situation quickly escalated.
“She got really, really upset,” Rojas said. “She took my ID checker, threw it on the ground, was calling me all kinds of names — not the nicest names — and was flipping us off, giving us the finger, telling us that we should die, all this type of stuff, and then she kind of just walked out.”
The Daily Illini surveyed door guys from five campus bars — KAMS, Joe’s, The Red Lion, Brothers and Legends — and found they generally view customers less favorably than their coworkers.
58% of the 12 door guys sampled revealed their feelings toward their staff to be “very positive,” while feelings toward bar-goers and guests ranged only from “positive” to “neutral” and even “negative.”
Even so, Brandon Vecchia, sophomore in Business and door guy at KAMS, explained some of the perks of being perpetually surrounded by drunk college students.
“I’ve never had a job similar to this,” Vecchia said. “You get to see a lot of interesting things, like you get to watch how people interact when they get drunk … If I don’t want to go out some nights, I still get that social aspect of it, so I still meet a lot of new people and then see my friends when they come by.”
Supporting that sentiment, 67% of door guys surveyed said the bars’ social scene inspired them to take the job. Others cited motivations such as bar or club perks, the pay, or simply the “aura” of the job.
Stone Gomberg, senior in Media, worked his way up the ranks at Joe’s over three years. He now holds a general manager position.
Reflecting on his beginnings as a door guy, he emphasized the sense of brotherhood among security staff.
“Joe’s gave me an opportunity to be surrounded by a bunch of different people that I never would have met,” Gomberg said. “The fact that I am getting into the trenches with four other guys, five other guys on any given night … bonds you a lot more than people probably think about. It really matures you, whether you think of door guys as a joke or not.”
For all the less pleasant memories of getting thrown up on, cleaning excrement off walls and walking in on overly intimate exchanges in the Joe’s bathrooms, the bar staff has built a community that balances out these moments.
Gomberg said that the behind-the-scenes community at Joe’s was a major factor in his enjoyment of the job.
Hiring parties for new employees, staff barn dances and post-closing bar walks were just a few examples Gomberg provided of instances that have made the door guy experience worth his while. He also said he enjoyed “putting smiles on people’s faces” as they come through the door.
“The dream guest at Joe’s is someone who … drinks a lot but is able to hold themselves accountable for their actions, and they’re able to have a good night but respect the staff that are working,” Gomberg said.
Door guys reflected on their overall experience in a variety of ways. Still, the most common adjective they used to describe the role was “memorable,” for better or worse.
