It was a typical sweltering Sunday night in Midtown: People wiped sweat from their foreheads and fanned themselves with any flat object they could find.
Frustrated people dipped out of a 10-person line in front of Balls, mumbling about the new, growing entrance line.
Long lines have become the new norm at many Midtown, and some downtown, bars. By the end of weekend nights, doormen will often let in only one person after patrons leave — sometimes after one and sometimes after 10.
Kyle Hayes, a regular Midtown visitor, stayed at Balls to get inside. He said the new wait to get in is better than a few months ago when Balls was a sweaty mass of people.
“It used to be that you couldn’t even move in here,” the 22-year-old telecommunication senior said. “You would just want to leave.”
This change resulted from more enforcement and increased emphasis on safety, an effort spearheaded by the Gainesville Fire Department and new fire marshal, JoAnne Rice.
Rice, a 22-year veteran of the fire department, was promoted to fire marshal June 27.
She said fire inspectors have been more present in the past few weeks so that her department can warn bars early to keep their entrance numbers under control. Rice also has communicated more with the Gainesville Police Department, so the officers can keep an eye on the number of people in the bars.
“We don’t want to catch people doing anything wrong,” she said. “We want to see them doing it right.”
She said she and her department haven’t done anything radically different since she took the job as fire marshal and is surprised by the sudden change in the overcrowding situation.
The bars are doing their bests this semester to keep their numbers within the range enforced by GPD and the fire department.
Keith Single, co-owner and manager of Salty Dog Saloon, said his bar is adhering to the fire and building codes, and that neighboring Midtown bars have been slapped with fines. Doormen have received misdemeanors for letting too many people in, he said.
“Nobody has been fined before the past few weeks,” Single said. “I’ve never heard of it happening before this.”
He said he heard a neighboring bar, which he did not name, was cleared out by authorities last Friday, and all the patrons had to re-enter one-by-one to meet the occupancy requirements.
Despite the handful of horror stories he has heard, Single said he has been surprised by the lack of negative side effects stemming from the new scrutiny.
“People inside are definitely happier that they aren’t being choked out by throngs of people,” Single said. “It’s safer, and our sales haven’t been hurt at all.”
Steve Maciejewski, event coordinator at the Swamp Restaurant, said he also hasn’t seen a decrease in sales. But controlling the crowds and explaining to patrons why they can’t get into the bar has proven to be more of a challenge.
“When it’s chaos, we sometimes have to close the line so we can get an accurate count of who’s inside,” Maciejewski said. “But trying to convey that to a bunch of 21-year-olds is challenging.”
Michael Que, a hulking 25-year-old bouncer at Salty Dog Saloon, has seen that challenge firsthand.
“People are more upset,” Que said. “If they see any room inside, they assume they should be able to come in.”
However, Que said he doesn’t hear much aside from some whining and grumbling.
“There’s only so much you can say to someone who’s 6-foot-seven and 350 pounds,” he said, pointing to himself.
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org.
