Antiblack Discrimination in Public Accommodations: Differential Drink Pricing in Urban Nightclubs

Studies have demonstrated evidence of racial discrimination in public accommodations. Within urban nightclubs specifically, blacks experience racial discrimination when attempting to gain access, yet little is known about the treatment they receive once inside. To assess whether there is racial discrimination inside urban nightclubs, the authors sent black and white men testers to 30 nightclubs in Chicago to determine whether black men paid more for drinks than white men paid for the same drinks. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from our field tests, the authors found evidence that black men paid more for drinks on average than did white men and that nightclub staff members add fees to the cost of drinks for black men but not for white men. The authors contribute to the literature by demonstrating specifically how the diffusion of racial discrimination can affect black consumers at multiple points in the same service encounter.