The owner of a cocktail and karaoke bar in Altrincham has defended his policy banning solo drinkers after 21:00, saying it is “for the safety of all guests.” Carl Peters, who runs Alibi, said the rule has been in place since the bar opened in 2022 and is designed to “mitigate risk” and protect customers from being “mithered” by solo visitors.
Mr Peters posted an Instagram reel this month explaining the policy after being accused of discrimination. He said he was “astounded” by the social media criticism and described Alibi as an “inclusive and safe environment.” The policy received mixed responses online, with one commenter saying she “always feels safe in Alibi,” while another called it “narrow minded” and noted they often go out alone without causing trouble.
Explaining his reasoning, Mr Peters said there were two main factors. “Firstly, if someone on their own has a seizure or an accident with no-one with them in a late night busy bar environment, it’s an absolute nightmare for us to deal with,” he said. He added: “Sometimes if you let people in on their own, the reason why they’re on their own is that they’ve got no-one to talk to, so they start mithering other groups. So what we do as a venue is we just eliminate that.”
He clarified: “Unless you’re with a group and we know who you’re with, then you’re not coming in.” Mr Peters added that he takes “pride that his customers feel safe in his venue” and was “astounded” that the policy had drawn criticism.
