Man said his ‘MAGA’ hat got him booted from Sarasota bar. Manager points to no hat policy

A hat took social media by storm over the last few days.

“Make America Great Again” hats are nothing new and have been the center of several news reports during Donald Trump’s candidacy and his presidency.

But a Sarasota man said he had an experience of his own last week at a local bar while wearing his red “MAGA” hat.

Mark Marlow said he was out with his girlfriend Friday night and was wearing his “MAGA” hat. They had been to a few places earlier in the evening and there wasn’t a thought about the hat on his head.

They then walked into the Bahi Hut Lounge, 4675 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Eventually, Marlow said he was confronted by an employee and told he would not be served.

“I responded, ‘Because of the hat?’ And he said, ‘Yes,’ ” Marlow said.

It caught him by surprise. Marlow said he interpreted that to mean his “Make America Great Again” hat was the problem, not that he was wearing a hat in general.

As Marlow later learned, and Bahi Hut Lounge manager Bill Northcutt explained to the Bradenton Herald, the establishment has long had a dress code that includes a no hat policy.

“It wasn’t until (Monday) that someone mentioned a ‘no hat’ policy. That was not brought to my attention there. Had it been, I would have removed the hat,” Marlow said. “I’m not a rule breaker.”

Marlow, however, said the policy was not strictly enforced Friday and he was eventually asked to leave, despite other people in the bar wearing hats.

The owner was not at the bar at the time but Marlow has been in contact with him about the incident.

“I told him to check the tapes and he messaged me back and said I was right, he was not enforcing the policy,” Marlow said.

A Bradenton Herald reporter saw a sign at the entrance to the Bahi Hut Lounge that read, in part, “Dress Code - Please no tank tops or bathing suits. Shoes are required. No hats - please leave in car.”

A second sign said admittance to the area was subject to proper dress code.

“There is no such thing as people wearing ‘MAGA’ hats not allowed in the bar,” Northcutt said.

According to Northcutt, the establishment also has a clearly spelled out nondiscrimination policy.

“We welcome anybody without any discrimination,” Northcutt said. “Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the Bahi Hut.”

It’s the first time something like this has happened at Bahi Hut, which Northcutt noted has been around since 1954.

After Friday’s incident, Marlow started reaching out to tell others about what happened, including Florida State Senator Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Sarasota County Republican Party.

“This type of stuff creates unnecessary division,” Gruters said. “In my position, it’s my job to help with these types of things.”

Gruters posted about the alleged incident on social media.

In a Facebook post, Gruters said Marlow was denied service and asked to leave Bahi Hut Lounge on Friday night because of his MAGA hat.

“As a community, we should reject these types of actions as it will lead to more division and hostility on both sides,” Gruters wrote. “We live in the greatest (c)ountry that has ever existed and this behavior should be considered unacceptable.”

Social media began to chime in on the incident. More than a thousand comments and reactions later, Marlow said it got much larger and more attention than he imagined it would.

Marlow posted to his Facebook account that the bar owner reached out to him on Tuesday and was polite.

“He stated that my statement of others in the bar wearing caps, was proven true due to security tapes. He once again apologized and offered to have me and the local GOP Chairman, at his establishment for some drinks. We will take him up on his offer. The owner has been very professional, and I find it hard for him to suffer because one of his employees went off track,” Marlow wrote. “I am hoping, by example, people can put animosity to the side, and see that people from different walks can get along. “

Marlow said this is an example of what can happen if you talk things through to work them out.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, Marlow posted a copy of a message to Bahi Hut management staff that read “Effective immediately, the ‘no hat’ policy is being discontinued. Our customers are welcome to enjoy the bar and may wear any hat of their choice.”

The message cited the “MAGA” hat incident as the reason for the change in policy.=

This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 8:14 AM.