Drugs in the glasses in the evening: in Toulouse, the owners of nightclubs and bars equip themselves with the “capote for glasses”
Two Lille residents, Francis Dehay and his son Antoine, created Drink Watch or the glass hood in 2020. This lid that you put on your glass prevents substances from being inserted into the drinks of partygoers. Since the launch, the two founders have been inundated with orders.
“It’s a crazy success but it also means that the aggressors are numerous”. Two years after the launch of Drink Watch, the “capote de verres”, Francis Dehay, in his fifties, bar owner in Lille and his son Antoine are overwhelmed with orders. After two years of design, in 2020, they launched this small reusable plastic lid to cover glasses in the evening and thus prevent all substances from being inserted without the knowledge of partygoers. “Town halls, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, there is a general awareness of this issue,” he analyzes. Their idea even crossed the borders of France and was deployed in Switzerland.
The municipality of Bordeaux has already placed an order with Drink Watch. For its part, Toulouse is no exception to the phenomenon and many customers of bars or night establishments have placed orders with Drink Watch. Collectives or associations such as “Let’s celebrate more, let’s risk less”, have also requested 2,000 “anti-drug” lids in glasses.
But in addition to this invention, the two founders from Lille wanted to combine the sale of this tool with prevention in partnership with associations such as “Avenir santé”. “We are campaigning for this device to be free for the user”, explains Francis Dehay. During these first two years of launching his concept, the founder also observed that “the drugs in the glasses did not only concern student parties”. He makes the sad observation that this scourge affects everyone and all walks of life.
Francis Dehay also recalls that its lid is totally made in France, that it is reusable. To make them, he hires people with disabilities. “We must above all that this device helps people and prevents victims from suffering this type of aggression”, discovered the founder.