Faith in Strangers

Nick Dabanovic a month ago

Good intentions, but sadly flawed delivery. Faith in Strangers is very nice looking, that point is immediate as soon as you ascend its neon staircase. However, the policies of the establishment detract from it, leaving it far from the edgy, inclusive Margate I love. I attended Horsemeat disco with a mixed group of friends and family including some from abroad and others from elsewhere in Kent. Despite our different backgrounds, the verdict was unanimous and in just over an hour we felt compelled to head somewhere else. We arrived early around 10 pm, and one of us waited at the bar to be served for way over 30 minutes. When the drinks were served they refused to take cash. The person in question was visiting from abroad and did not have a card he could use. This is not welcoming to tourists or those who do not live off their credit/debit card or phone (often some of the hardest working in society). There are no clear warning signs of this policy. Faith in Stranger is a working space by day and it has a mixed men's and women's WC with a limited number of cubicles. I have no problem with mixed toilets, but when it becomes a busy night club the queue for the loo gets very long, very, very quickly. I (male) came out of the main WC door and was met by a lady with that horrified “I am in the wrong loo” face, she spun around and darted off through a staff-only door thinking she had successfully retreated into the ladies' toilets! Later on, I observed, which was confirmed by the security guards, that male visitors who are not used to long WC waits leave the queue and go outside and urinate in the street! This is in Cliftonville where many of the residents are trying to clean up their part of town! This policy might be ‘inclusive’ but it does have unintended consequences! Our group also noticed to the far left of the bar there is a computer with a large monitor where a gentleman proudly sat monitoring CCTV all over the club in full public view. I understand the need for this, but usually, this is done in a more subtle, concealed manner and it did leave a 21st century Big Brother feel to the place. This got worse when the security guards confronted a horrified couple with a small envelope of something they had found on the floor. From the couple’s reaction, we got the impression that they were not the owners of the package and the security was not experienced in handling such a situation, which seem more like public humiliation rather than “come to one side and chat”. Overall we all independently concluded Faith in Strangers set off with good intentions, but has ended up with flawed policies and has become a destination for people who like to be seen. If you are after the edgy, inclusive Margate vibe of old this might not the place you are looking for, sadly.