- A restaurant on New York's upper east side
has come under fire after banning women from drinking
and eating alone at the bar,
because, now get this,
the owner has ordered a crack down on prostitutes.
(audience laughs)
So here's the question.
Is it okay for a woman to eat or drink alone at a bar?
- [Woman] Yes. - [Audience] Yeah!
- Or, or... - See, how can there be
a debate here?
- Or, does that send the wrong signal?
- Do you know how crazy that question is?
Is it okay?
We are free people!
We can eat whatever the hell we want to eat!
That is insane. (clapping)
- I got nothing but that right, I'm with my girl.
- I just sat at the bar last night by myself.
I flew in town.
It was all men sitting at the bar.
Yeah, there I am.
I took a picture.
I have two kids at home.
I have a five month old and a two year old
and it is the best being by yourself.
After your dealing with kids all day.
(clapping)
- [Jason Lee] But I think,
- Oh be careful.
Oh, be careful!
- Tread lightly.
- I was gonna say!
- Well, I don't think you should
assume that a woman is a prostitute because she is
sitting at the, maybe she is just a lady of the night.
- Here's the thing.
Women who are at bars alone,
the men that are at the bars alone,
want to see those women
at the bar alone. - Of course!
- That's what's so ridiculous.
So if that bar wants any patrons,
they should let the women do whatever they want, right?
- It makes no sense.
First of all, it's a private establishment.
I believe this man is gonna lose his business
talking about women this way.
You don't put everyone in the same bag,
it's ludicrous, and now if he start to
crack down on this, I can't wait for
the men to never show up.
- [Jason] Exactly!
- Because the problem is on the other side of the coin.
- Correct.
- Nevermind the fact that it's 2019.
Women should be able to do whatever
the hell they want to. - Whatever they want.
- Whatever they want to do.
(audience clapping)
- Where do we draw the line on telling
people they can't come to the bar?
Prostitutes need drinks too, and prob...
and I mean this is a free flowing economy,
so at the end of the day, he wants people to buy his...
- What if you just wanna sit at the bar?
- Hello you forgot five,
just a woman that wants a drink at the bar.
- Well see here's what,
let's be perfectly honest here.
The perception of a woman alone at a bar,
because if you go to Vegas,
this is the prostitute move now.
Every business man that travels knows
when you go downstairs in the hotel to the bar,
the girls at the bar by they self are available.
That's the perception!
- No way Steve.
Especially at a hotel like,
cause you're traveling and whenever I travel,
I do the exact same thing because you're by yourself.
- [Steve] I know!
- You feel a little - The bartender talks
- weird at a table, - to you too.
- You chat with the bartender.
- [Steve] I got all that y'all saying.
- I know where you're coming from.
- I'm just opening up the playbook for you.
We are taught that if we want to look
for an easy win, she is sitting at the bar by herself.
That's what we...
- [Jillian] What, no!
- What, hey hey, listen to me.
It doesn't make you a prostitute.
That doesn't mean that's what you're doing,
but I'm telling you what the perception is
in the male psyche.
- I will say you said we were taught that
but that's from like what, the 50's and 60's
when women didn't have their own jobs,
they couldn't pay for their own drinks,
they didn't go anywhere really by themselves.
- [Jason] Instagram.
- Yeah, Instagram.
Let's move to 2019.
Women are everywhere at the boardroom,
the top of the boardroom,
the top of a big old business,
its like...
- Maybe we need to change the
perception of - Yes exactly!
- how we are going to teach our
kid that this used to exist and it's a different story now.
- Let's be honest,
it's not gonna crack down on prostitutes
but it is gonna move the party to another bar.
That's all it's gonna do.
- Absolutely, absolutely.
- I absolutely think that he's killing his business.
- [Tanika] Absolutely you're done.
- Absolutely.
All right y'all, we're gonna take a quick break
but when we get back, we're just heating up
with these topics so stay right there.
We'll be right back.
(jazzy music) (cheering)