Ladies Entrance
Long, long before Spanky founded the He-Man Woman Haters Club to keep Alfalfa away from Darla, NYC restaurants and bars have banned and excluded women from having the same fun as men do.
Yes, I know, I know. But I’m going to limit this post as it relates to NYC restaurants and bars.
McSorley’s Old Ale House opened in 1854 but did not allow women in until 1970 when NYC Mayor John Lindsay signed a law directing public establishments to admit women. The regulars at McSorley’s were none too happy and one of the first women to drink there, VP of NOW Lucy Komisar, got into a few tussles and had a mug of ale poured on her head. But McSorley’s was not the only place that discriminated.
Many restaurants, including the Russian Tea Room and Sardi’s, would not allow women in until after 3pm because they were afraid women would linger and gossip too loudly at lunch and annoy the men who had to eat quickly and get back to work.
Even as recently as 2017, swanky, expensive, celebrity hangout Italian restaurant Nello on Madison Avenue would not allow single women to dine at the bar alone. Their reason - to stop prostitutes from meeting men. I guess they assumed every single woman at the bar was a hooker.
Oh, and by the way. Even though McSorley’s was forced to allow women inside in 1970, there was no ladies rest room there until 1985.
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