All dressed up, heading out to eat or out for drinks. One last look at the mirror and it lets you know “damn you look good”. Smelling like a million dollars, stepping out in a nice shirt, dress, or shoes, and making it count. You’ve been indoors for so long, it’s time to be seen.

You arrive at the restaurant you’ve been dreaming about all this while. Excited to try something new on the menu, experience the new scene, or catch up at the regular. There you are, walking towards the door like you’re on a runway. Then suddenly, the person at the entrance rudely stops the music playing in your head.

“Sir, you can’t go in with slippers and shorts.”
“Madam, you cant go in dressed like that.”

Restaurants in Lagos will dish out a constant reminder that your outfit is not on the menu. Every restaurant has a certain clientele it caters to. Some have the vibe of a bar or club scene, whilst others like cafes are more low-key business and family-oriented. The Management, on one hand, may have laid out the rules, the person at the door on the other hand will interpret it based on their personal bias.

Where do we draw the line?
Who do we blame?

It’s rude to turn back a paying customer when your business is clearly set up to cater to and attract paying customers. It’s also out of place to be dressed in a provocative way to a family restaurant. All in all, I think the restaurants can do better, most especially when someone wasn’t let in because of their hair colour. Ridiculous. Restaurant owners, please educate your staff on how to handle the situation that won’t end up leading to a bad reputation.