A coalition of campus-area bars announced a shift from its initial stance of resisting pressure to comply with UW chancellor John Wiley’s and the Alcohol License and Review Committee’s desire to ban drink specials. The announcement was made at a press conference Thursday.
The bars have created a plan to “indefinitely” ban drink specials at their establishments on weekend nights; the ban is effective immediately.
Speaking on behalf of some 19 campus-area bars, Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty, flanked by Dick Lysheck, owner of Bullfeathers, and Kelly Meuer, owner of State Street Brats, announced the initiative at Shapiro’s Nitty Gritty.
Lysheck expressed his feeling that many organizations, including the university, the Madison Police, and the ALRC have been lining up to attack the bars, placing pressure on bar owners to make the first move.
“Forces have been coalescing to cause this to take place,” Lysheck said.
Shapiro agreed, but said things are beginning to change.
“We’re used to getting beat up, but we’re taking a stand now,” Shapiro said.
Those in the audience included Chancellor Wiley, Susan Crowley, president of the Policy Alternatives Community Education coalition, an organization that aims to battle binge-drinking on UW campus, and Barb Mercer, president of the Dane County Tavern League.
Shapiro maintained the bar owners association “strongly disagrees with the opinion” of the ALRC and chancellor’s office that drink specials induce and encourage binge-drinking.
“We see drink specials as legitimate marketing strategy designed to get customers to come to our establishments.” Shapiro said.
Presenting what he called an “olive branch,” Shapiro laid out his attempt at appeasement.
“We have agreed to voluntarily and immediately end drink specials on Friday and Saturday nights,” he said.
Shapiro suggested that the agreement among bar owners was part of an attempt to “mend fences and build bridges with Chancellor Wiley and city officials,” however the decision to pull the drink specials might be reversed should it become clear that drink specials are not the root of the problem.
“If after a period of time it becomes clear that nothing has changed, then we will conclude that drink specials are not the cause of the problem, and we’ll have to look elsewhere,” Shapiro said, referring to crimes associated with alcohol and the high number of recent detox admissions.
Lysheck expressed hope that the presence of drink specials would be cleared of contribution to the high incidence of binge drinking of downtowns.
“I hope this will shed light on the true nature of the situation,” Lysheck said.
Meuer asserted his belief that the city and university are ignoring the real dangers associated with alcohol in Madison; house parties.
“No matter what our specials are, you can still get a keg of beer for forty dollars, which is much more economical than what you can buy at a bar for the same price. What is a college student going to do?” Meuer asked.
Bars that have indicated interest but have not yet agreed to participate include Paul’s Club, 212 State St, the Red Shed, 406 N. Frances St., Monday’s, 523 State St, Spices, 117 State St., and Lava Lounge, 461 W. Gilman St.
Both UW Chancellor Wiley and ALRC co-chair Timothery Bruer, were pleased with the bar owners’ decision, agreeing it was a step in the right direction, but both seemed to foresee action coming against the bars.
Wiley said he agreed with “almost everything” the owners said Bruer said that the voluntary ban was “only the beginning.”
