‘No homeless here’ poster at Broadstairs pub and hotel due to threats made to staff

The poster has received a backlash on social media

Shepherd Neame brewery has insisted it does not discriminate against rough sleepers after a poster in the staff room at a Broadstairs pub and hotel sparked outrage on social media today (November 20).

The poster, which was pinned up in the staff area at the Royal Albion Hotel, instructs staff not to have any contact with “the homeless people situated outside Costa or nearby.”

The poster author said there had been a run in and police had been contacted. It adds: “They are not welcome in here for toilet, to charge phones or anything else.”

Shepherd Neame, which owns the hotel, said the message, although poorly worded, followed threats to staff and advice from police.

An outraged resident shared the poster on facebook, saying: “Choose whether your money goes to gentrification and refusing a homeless person the humanity of knowing your name, or a decent local business which cares about the community upon which it is built.”

But a Shepherd Neame spokesman said the poster did not reflect company policy but was due to the threat to staff.

The spokesman said: “Following an incident in which it is alleged one of our members of staff was threatened, police advised not to engage with the individuals concerned.

“While this was communicated poorly in a poster placed in a staff room, this was by no means an official document, nor does it reflect the views of the company towards homeless people.

“To clarify, we do not discriminate against anyone. We do however, take the wellbeing of our staff very seriously.”

8 Comments

  1. If 1 in 100 outraged citizens took in a homeless person there would be no homeless people. Its a lot easier to grand stand on social media than deal with a crack head pissing on your couch.

  2. Indeed – If I was spending my own hard-earned money eating, drinking or staying at this (or any similar) establishment, I would not expect free-loaders to be using the same facilities for nothing.

    Every business has to protect it’s paying customers – that’s what good business is all about, they provide a service and you pay for it and both parties are happy with that arrangement. Shepherd Neame is not discriminating against rough sleepers – they are quite welcome to become paying customers, the same as the rest of us. What Shepherd Neame does not want is people walking in off the street and stealing their electricity and water ! Shepherd Neame staff do not need to be threatened, abused or intimidated by rough sleepers if they as them to leave the premises because they are not bona fide, fee paying customers of the bar, restaurant or hotel.

    As other commenters have suggested, if those who are outraged are so concerned and want so-called rough sleepers to have free electricity for charging their mobile phones, free use of toilet or bathroom facilities – then give them your name and address so they can come round to your house and use all your utilities for nothing . . .

  3. So do they Barr other people everytime some kicks off in the pub, I don’t think so soon. Discrimination aimed at the homeless, Disgusting
    Shepherd Neme should be answering the questions as why they Discriminate against the most vulnerable people in our towns

    • So if you let a homeless person use your toilet in your own home and they threatened you, you wouldn’t refuse to let them in again?

  4. This poster was in the staff room , how did it become public ?
    Has a member of staff with a grudge against shepherd neame leaked the posters details !

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