The owner of East Village punk bar Continental a problem with folks using literally, when they really mean figuratively. A sign now hangs outside warning what will happen if customers let that word slip once inside: “You must leave.”
Patrons who are heard using “literally” will be given “5 minutes to finish” their drinks. Use it to start a sentence, you will be asked to leave “immediately!!!” As the sign explains: “This is the most overused, annoying word in the English language and we will not tolerate it.”
Bar owner Trigger Smith says the policy is tongue-in-cheek, but really does hate that word, as well as other phrases like “It’s all good,” “You know what I’m saying?” and “My bad.”
Older New Yorkers remember the Continental from the days when Iggy Pop and Joey Ramone hung out there. It is most well-known for its shot deal: five shots “of anything” for $10 (it costs $12 now — inflation).
The Continental has also banned “saggy jeans,” a policy the owner defends: “If you have a problem with that, open up your own bar with no dress code or door policy and see how long it lasts. That crowd will alienate and scare away your mainstream crowd until that’s all you have left.”
A sign hanging on the bar’s mirror inside also reads, “The customer is always wrong.”
Good on ya’ mate.
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