Бар Bondi Beach ввел силиконовые крышки для напитков, чтобы защитить студентов от подмены

Bondi Beach Bar and Grill has introduced reusable silicone drink covers this fall, a $2 addition aimed at giving its patrons another tool to keep their drinks free from tampering.  The covers, which fit over most cup sizes, are the latest push for safety by married co-owners Mike and Ashley Weber. Twenty-five cents from every sale is donated to the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center of Northern Colorado.  Ashley Weber said the idea had been on the couple’s mind for years but became a priority after they took ownership of Bondi. “We understand that we serve a largely college-aged population and we think it’s more, our responsibility doesn’t just end with serving drinks,” Ashley Weber said. “It also has to do with keeping people safe.” This initiative is personal for Ashley Weber, a survivor of sexual assault who serves on the board at Child Safe Colorado, a nonprofit that provides an outpatient treatment program for victims of childhood abuse. She said her background, paired with the bar’s clientele, made the timing feel right.  “We both feel really strongly about that,” Ashley Weber said. “We’re just trying to make the necessary steps to keep everyone safe.” Mike Weber said the covers work alongside a policy his staff already enforced: unattended drinks get thrown out — no exceptions.  “I have trained all of my security staff (that) if a drink is unattended, they just throw it away,” Mike Weber said. He added that if a patron objects, staff send the guest directly to him. “I will remake their drink and tell them exactly why we threw that drink away.” Mike Weber said the bar typically staffs between seven and nine security guards on any given night, but even that isn’t enough to monitor every table.  “It’s hard to have eyes on everyone in the room at the same time,” Ashley Weber said. “It’s impossible to do.” The co-owners said they landed on a reusable cover after considering other products, including drink-testing strips, which only catch a single moment rather than protecting a drink for an entire night. Mike Weber said the food-grade silicone covers hold up better than cloth alternatives, like drink-cover scrunchies that absorb spilled liquid rather than repel it.  “This keeps your drink safe from the minute it’s poured at the bar until you’re finished with it,” Ashley Weber said.  The covers are designed to travel beyond Bondi’s doors. Because they’re reusable rather than disposable, the Webers said patrons can toss them in a purse or backpack and bring them to house parties, tailgates or other bars. They said they’ve talked about the initiative with Lucky Joe’s Sidewalk Saloon and haven’t ruled out expanding further if demand increases.  “It just hasn’t made a point where it needs to be moved out to another bar yet,” Ashley Weber said. “If we see that it needs to be a CSU campuswide thing, I don’t think either one of us would say we can’t do it because we are in this solely for the community.” So far, the bar has focused on distribution over sales, attempting to work with CSU sorority and fraternity chapters to get covers into students’ hands for free, particularly incoming students experiencing their first weekends away from home. The Webers said they’ve also given covers out at events like RamFest, and interest has picked up since the launch though it’s still early in the process.  Beyond the covers, the co-owners said the bar’s broader safety approach includes making sure intoxicated patrons who are asked to leave don’t do so alone and encouraging security staff, identifiable by bright blue shirts, to be approachable to any concerned customers.  “If something happens, please let us know,” Mike Weber said. “We don’t have eyes everywhere. It’s impossible. But if you tell us, we will make sure that something happens.” The Webers said they’ve also begun talks with ChargerGoGo, a local phone-charging service already available at the bar, about a possible partnership, since both initiatives share a similar safety goal: making sure patrons get home safe.  Ashley Weber said the response so far, especially from parents, has been encouraging.  “(For) my generation, this didn’t exist, and it would have been a game changer,” Ashley Weber said.  Looking ahead, the Webers said their goal is for the covers to become as routine as texting a friend to confirm they made it home safely.  “We just want to encourage everyone to be responsible when they’re out having fun,” Ashley Weber said. “We will try to take some responsibility off their hands by giving them this option.” Reach Maci Lesh at  [email protected]  or on social media  @macileshmedia.