City officials and Madison police officers attended a different type of bar crawl Friday night, touring several downtown liquor establishments in order to have first-hand knowledge of local bars when granting alcohol licenses in the upcoming months.
The city’s Alcohol Policy Coordinator Mark Woulf, Madison Police Department Lt. Detective Tim Peregoy and MPD Alcohol Liaison Officer Chad Crose led Alcohol License Review Committee members on a “walk-through” of approximately 20 of the area’s 28 licensed taverns.
The group visited downtown bars such as the Nitty Gritty, Segredo, Johnny O’s Sports Lounge, Wando’s, State Street Brats, Logan’s, Paul’s Club and Osaka House and talked with bar managers.
ALRC member Tom Landgraf said touring local bars allows committee members to “get a flavor for the pulse of things,” which allows members to make better judgements when approving and reviewing liquor licenses.
ALRC members took account of the unique business characteristics of each establishment, such as style and food service, which can influence profits, capacity and complaints from neighbors.
Some restaurants, such as State Street Brats, have a “cutoff” time when the restaurant functionally becomes a bar, and management starts checking IDs, according to Woulf.
Crose said due to the proximity of downtown bars to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, a younger student demographic is often involved in alcohol-related incidents, such as battery, detox, theft and underage drinking.
“The downtown has a unique problem compared to the outskirts [of Madison],” Crose said.
University Health Services Director of Prevention Services and Campus Health Initiatives Tom Sieger, an ALRC member also on the walk, said students need to be aware of the effects of alcohol.
“[Alcohol] is without a doubt the number one factor [that endangers students on campus],” Sieger said.
Although bouncers and owners card and scan IDs, underage drinking is still an issue, according to Woulf.
Sieger also said higher proof alcohol and flavored drinks are dangerous because individuals consume a large amount of alcohol without realizing how the alcohol is affecting them.
“There’s a culture of not wasting alcohol in this state,” ALRC member Michael Donnelly said.
However, Crose said downtown taverns tend to comply with their liquor licenses.
“Most bars govern themselves well,” Crose said.
