Customers are now required to follow a dress code recently implemented in the downtown Iowa City bar ReUnion Brewery.

After receiving multiple weapon threats, ReUnion Brewery’s manager said the dress code was added due to safety issues and to create a better ambiance.

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Compared to eight other major bars in downtown Iowa City, ReUnion has had the most calls to police.

Service records show the Iowa City Police Department responded to a total of 19 calls from ReUnion Brewery from Jan. 16 to Feb. 27.

Out of the 19 calls, there was one reported instance of a physical altercation between a patron and ReUnion’s security. Call records show security held the subject down after they became physical.

Another call on Feb. 17 reported a male in a black sweatshirt, light-colored jeans, and a beanie who reportedly threatened to shoot staff.

On Feb. 18, another call was made to police that reported the caller wanted to speak to police referencing weapon threats. The same weekend of Feb. 18, a staff member from ReUnion said management informed staff a new dress code will be implemented because of
weapon threats.

The dress code, which is listed on a sign in the corner of ReUnions doorway, bans patrons from wearing:

• Sunglasses

•  Joggers

• Sweatpants

• “Wife beater” tank tops

• Backpacks

 ReUnion Manager Elliot Lamb said the bar warned patrons two weeks before the dress code was implemented on March 2.

“In general, just the overall safety of the bar, we’re just looking to continuously improve the scene here,” Lamb said. “We’re just keeping sweatpants and joggers and tank tops out of here really just because it doesn’t fit the vibe that we’re trying to push forward.”

Lamb said the bar doesn’t anticipate the dress code will affect the number of customers.

“We have protocols, and we do training in the event of anything that does happen, but overall, we feel pretty safe inside our bar,” Lamb said. “Anybody who’s going to throw a fit over wearing sweatpants into the bar, there’s 100 and some bars in Iowa City, they are more than welcome to choose another one.”

Mara Garbanzos, a host and server at ReUnion, said she does not see as much of the security issues because they mostly happen at night but thinks the dress code helps keep people safe.

While ReUnion has a higher number of calls to police than eight other downtown bars, Garbanzos said she feels ReUnion is one of the safer bars in town.

“I feel like some [bars] are better at safety than others. I’d say ours is one of the best compared to some of the other ones around here,” Garbanzos said. “I always feel safe to come here.”

ReUnion will become the second of two bars in downtown Iowa City to have a dress code. The first bar, Summit, has had a dress code for over six years, bar manager Brad Wellner said.

Wellner said the dress code at Summit is not about safety.

“When you’re in the bar, it’s better to look nice when you’re out in public instead of wearing sweatpants inside where everybody else is required to wear dress pants,” Wellner said.

During the same period of Jan. 16 to Feb. 27, Summit had the second-highest number of calls to police out of the eight bars, totaling 15 calls for service.

While sitting with friends in Summit, University of Iowa student Zoe Shadravan said she doesn’t think a dress code is unfair and understands a bar wanting to create a certain aesthetic.

“Dress codes aren’t normally a big issue for me, but I do think they might be a larger issue for men here,”
Shadravan said.