The Mexico City hotspot is charging American visitors a steep $300 cover charge to enter — while citizens from other countries pay just $20 and Mexicans and Latin Americans pay $14 — in a pointed protest against Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on America’s southern neighbor, News.Az reports, citing The Guardian.
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The tiered pricing policy from Japan, a nightclub in the Roma Norte neighborhood, has struck a chord with Mexico City residents. The Instagram announcement detailing the eye-watering cover charges has been liked over 26,000 times and garnered more than 200 comments, mostly in support of the policy as part of a broader backlash against what many see as American economic and political overreach, the report said.
In a pointed Instagram post, the club reframed its pricing strategy. “It’s not that ‘we charge gringos more’ it’s that we offer discounts to people that need it,” Japan wrote. “The cover charge is $5,000 [pesos]. Citizens of the USA don’t get a discount.”
The post explains that citizens from any other country receive a 93% discount, Mexicans and Latin Americans get 95% off, and students and teachers receive a 97% discount, paying just 150 pesos for entry.
Club owner Federico Crespo made clear the pricing reflects deteriorating Mexico-U.S. relations under Trump. “This is a response to a year of insults directed at us – as a country – by the United States. It’s very much a response to the many attacks against Mexico from Trump,” Crespo said.
Rather than pocket the extra revenue, Crespo said the money collected from American cover charges is distributed among Japan’s workers — many of whom are struggling with rising rents, soaring cost of living, and longer commutes.
“By giving the workers the money collected from cover charges, we help them out a little bit,” Crespo told the Guardian.
