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ALRC debates bar capacity increase

Madison's Alcohol License Review Committee spent time debating a requested increased capacity at local establishment Kimia Lounge and also approved a State Street Fuddruckers Wednesday.

The restaurant and bar, located near the Capitol, wanted to increase the maximum capacity from 100 to 160 people, but committee members did not feel they had enough information to approve the increase.

The debate will resume at the next meeting.

Kimia Lounge owner Kami Eshraghi said that in a previous meeting, the committee allowed the Madison Department of Planning and Development to decide the capacity number.

"My license states my capacity is what the Department of Planning decides," he said. "Under their codes, our capacity should be 160 … I was never given that number."

Eshraghi also said the establishment will continue to have the same operations and security measures even if capacity increases.

"I don't see any reason why [the committee] would have concerns," he said.

Committee member Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the ALRC must look back on previous meeting minutes to see if Eshraghi's claim about the Department of Planning and Development is true.

While Eshraghi believes he is entitled to the capacity increase, the committee heard opposition from residents living near Kimia Lounge, including Jamie McCarville, chair of the Alcohol Issues Committee for Capitol Neighborhoods.

"I'm opposed to any type of expansion," she said. "It's nothing personal, but we can't take any more alcohol expansion downtown."

McCarville said residents of the area have already complained about disturbances due to restaurants and bars.

Similarly, Madison Police Department Capt. Jay Lengfeld — a member of the committee — said the department has concerns about increasing capacity.

"We've stated that there is too much density downtown," Lengfeld said. "And this only adds to it."

However, Marsh Shapiro, committee member and owner of the Nitty Gritty, provided a different perspective, saying business owners cannot exactly predict capacity when planning construction.

"From a business point of view, this has been a catch-22 forever," he said. "[Eshragi] can't get that information when the building has first started."

Shapiro also said a capacity number cannot be exactly defined until an inspector walks through the finished establishment.

"Everyone's got a number on their mind, but they're all different ones," he said.

Also at the meeting, the ALRC approved an alcohol license for the chain restaurant Fuddruckers, which will be located on State Street. It will replace the space which was formerly Moe's Southwest Grill and aims to open sometime in the spring.

Managing partner Elliott Stubbendick said though Fuddruckers will sell beer and wine, it is primarily a restaurant and not a bar.

"We're not a bar business, we're a restaurant," he said. "But we'd like to offer options to those who want to have something to drink."

The approved license will allow the restaurant to sell 98 percent food and a small two percent for alcohol. The restaurant will remain open after bar hours, but will cut off beer sales around 1 a.m.

Lengfeld said MPD had no problems with the small percentage of alcohol requested.

"Only two percent alcohol?" Lengfeld asked. "How can you go wrong with that?"

The restaurant is the first such location in Madison, but there are two Wisconsin Fuddruckers chains in Janesville and Brookfield, Wis.