A city committee determined State Street mainstay Mondays Bar will not lose its liquor license for serving underage patrons and also voted down a proposal to create an 18-plus entertainment venue in the former location of Logan’s bar.
Instead of losing its alcohol license, Mondays struck a deal with the Alcohol License Review Committee and will have to close for 30 days sometime before Dec. 2. The bar can choose to close for either one 30-day period or two 15-day periods, and the City Council will review and consider approving the recommendation at its Sept. 3 meeting.
The deal will likely hurt business at Mondays because they will have to be closed during some home football games, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Verveer said the original complaint called for the revocation of the bar’s license due to numerous underage citations from over the last year and a half.
Another downtown establishment, Shamrock Bar, had its alcohol license approved by the committee. After being closed for the past month, the new Shamrock Bar is now set to open in the same space as the original Shamrock Bar.
After a lengthy dispute over legal and property claims, the ALRC approved the license for Shamrock Bar which will open with a new owner, Robert Mahr. The approval came with the condition that the applicant must submit proof of their right to occupy the property.
Glen Jahns, former owner of the original Shamrock Bar, posted on the bar’s Facebook page in early July the bar would be closing down in order to “restructure.”
According to Mahr, Jahns had to shut down because of financial strains. Mahr said Jahns had been taken advantage of with the inflated price that he paid for the bar, and was unable to keep up with payments.
“Jahns has never been able to keep his head above the water,” Mahr said.
Mahr said he would like to keep the tradition and the atmosphere of the Shamrock Bar alive, along with some updates to the food and drink menu. He added he would also like to continue its popularity as a safe gathering place for the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ considers the Shamrock Bar to be the ‘Cheers’ of Madison,” Mahr said.
The committee also declined to grant an 18-plus entertainment license to the proposed Red Rock Saloon, which would occupy the former site of Logan’s bar. The proposed establishment, which currently has a location in Milwaukee, plans to incorporate a country western theme into the venue and offer patrons mechanical bull rides.
The proposal was the first 18-plus entertainment license the committee has ever seen, Verveer said.
While many committee members said they liked the proposal, several raised concerns the plans did not follow restrictions on entertainment venues as designated by the Alcohol License Density Ordinance.
Under the ordinance, entertainment establishments have to meet the requirements to operate as a restaurant when entertainment events are not happening. The restaurant must stay open for a limited amount of time before and after the entertainment event.
Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, said the planners of the proposed restaurant should come up with a more detailed business plan to clarify that the venue meets these standards.
