Entertainment

So you want to get into a hot club, but you don't know anyone inside. And you're not on the list.

JASON JANIK/Special Contributor

Customers enjoy the drinks and music at Aura Lounge.

What's an attractive, socially desirable girl or guy to do?

Before you start throwing names around – a red flag of the socially inept – here are some do's and don'ts of getting in, courtesy of three local club owners.

DO

Dress to impress. "Dress better than you think you have to," says Matthew Giese, who owns Suite, a boutique nightclub in Uptown. That might mean choosing a unique outfit over something trendy. "Sometimes a cool pair of sneakers is better than a suit," he says. "There's a whole world of hip-hop luxury that is a lot more cerebral than someone wearing a sport coat and a bad shirt."

Visit on off days. If you're really gunning to check out a hot club where you don't know anyone, don't show up on Saturday at midnight. Fridays tend to be a bit slower than Saturdays, and getting there early (11 p.m.) increases the chances of getting in. But some clubs, such as Aura Lounge, are open Tuesdays. Other clubs are open Thursday and Sunday – just call or check the Web site to make sure.

Rent a table. It's expensive (usually $300 to $350 per bottle at the hottest spots), but it's the only way to absolutely guarantee admittance on weekends. If you've never rented a table there before, make sure to introduce yourself to the owner. Compliment him on the place and the service. Next time, he may recognize you and let you in.

DON'T

Drop names. Says Sam Sameni, who owns Wish Ultra Lounge in Knox-Henderson: "I was downstairs one night, and a customer comes up and says he's a friend of Sam's. He was staring at me, and had no idea who I was. It happens way more often than you think it does."

JASON JANIK/Special Contributor

Nichole Muller, Jason Nemes and Melody Garcia enjoy drinks, music and the view at Wish Ultra Lounge.

Show up with six men. The nightlife paradox works this way: Men, by and large, run the clubs. They count on women to fill them. If you're a guy, just make sure you have a lot of hot ladies in your group. (Or rent a table.) Smaller places such as Suite can be reluctant to let in big groups, no matter how attractive they are, so the best bet overall is to just be two hot women. Or two hot women and a guy.

Be rude or impatient. Yes, standing outside in the heat or cold stinks, but bite your tongue. Lashing out only gets you a mad door host and a long wait in line, says Eddie Gutierrez, who owns Dolce, a subterranean club downtown. Mr. Giese takes it a step further. He encourages first-time visitors to introduce themselves to the door host while they're waiting. "You can say, 'I've heard you have a beautiful place, I've heard it's busy, I'd really love to check the place out.' ... You'd be shocked at how few people take that approach."

THINGS THAT SHOULD REMAIN UNSAID

Here are a few lines that have been uttered at doors around town. They did not result in the patron getting in.

•"You're not letting me in because I'm [insert ethnicity or race]."

•"I'm on the Dallas City Council, and I'm going to revoke your license!" Mr. Sameni says he heard this from a patron at a club he owned several years back.

•"This is Dallas! We're not in LA. We're in Dallas!" Mr. Giese says he's heard this one before. "It's always the big overweight guy with the chains, implying that in Miami or Vegas he just walks in anywhere, but it's ridiculous in Dallas that he'd be insulted at the door," he says. "Slamming Dallas isn't going to get you anywhere with me."

DOES PAYING THE DOORMAN WORK?

Mr. Gutierrez says people tip anywhere from $20 to $100 to not wait in line. (And Dolce's lines get long on the weekends.) The key is to make sure no one else in line sees the tip transfer, he says. "A handshake with cash in hand is the best way. Works in most cities, from my experience."

Mr. Sameni says a lot of doormen at upscale nightclubs already receive plenty of money from regulars, so a $20 or $50 tip from an unknown might not work. "Regular members tip the door guy $20 or $50 just for opening the rope," Mr. Sameni says. Mr. Giese says he discourages the practice. "Ultimately, it's about being the correct crowd and not trying to pad the doorman's pocket," he says.