A Times Square speakeasy has been left short of its signature glassware after patrons repeatedly walked out with body-shaped cocktail glasses, the bar’s staff said.
The Woo Woo, an ’80s-themed bar on West 47th Street that opened in 2022, said about 70 of the suggestive glasses have been taken since the stemware was introduced in 2023. Employees describe customers hiding the hourglass- and backside-shaped vessels in sweaters, handbags and beneath clothing as they leave.
Bartenders and servers said some guests treat the glasses as a keepsake. "People love particularly the body and what we call the ‘ass glass.’ We got people kissing them, licking them," bartender Tara McDermott said. She and server Grace Frasch described customers attempting to smuggle multiple glasses out, and staff members said the bar is opening one or two new boxes of glassware each day to keep up with losses.
General manager Neil McDonnell said the bar has not been able to replace the missing items fast enough. "I don’t have a secret supplier. It’s just Jeff Bezos," he said, referring to an Amazon listing where similar four-packs sell for about $32. McDonnell said management won’t sell the glasses directly because they cannot afford to part with them.
The nightclub-themed venue has turned to social media to highlight the problem. The bar posted a video on Instagram showing a bartender pouring a drink into an employee’s cupped hands with the caption, "How it’s gonna be if y’all keep stealing all our glasses." Staff said some commenters admitted taking glasses, and others asked whether they could buy one when confronted.
The glassware is not the only item to go missing. About 50 vinyl 45s used to serve the bar’s "Shot Through the Heart" — a cocktail presentation that includes crushed Pixy Stix candy atop the record to mimic a line — have also disappeared, McDermott said. Employees said they are now remaking those records daily.
The Woo Woo’s décor and menu pay homage to a seedier Times Square of the 1980s, when peep shows, playhouses and adult film stores clustered in the neighborhood. A replica sex shop serves as the bar’s entrance and some cocktails carry sultry names such as the Pure Temptation, a whiskey-and-pomegranate drink poured into an hourglass-shaped vessel, and the Panty Dropper, a mezcal, chipotle and watermelon mix served in a glass shaped like a woman’s backside.
Staff members say the novelty draws visitors and helps the bar stand out in a crowded nightlife district, but that the loss of the custom glassware and records is a logistical and financial burden. McDermott said the bar is scrambling to replace the items but that theft continues.
The incidents reflect a wider trend in hospitality settings where distinctive or branded items are sometimes taken by customers, but The Woo Woo’s management has resisted turning the glasses into a retail offering. Instead, they have publicized the thefts in hopes of curbing behavior and retaining the props that help define the bar’s aesthetic.
The Woo Woo did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment on measures it might take to prevent future losses, such as checking bags or offering purchasable souvenir items.