A misunderstanding over whether Club Majestic misled the city’s alcohol-granting committee into thinking it would not offer student drink specials will bring the club’s owner to next week’s Alcohol License Review Committee meeting to discuss Majestic’s drink special.
The liquor license for the dance club, located at 115 King Street, does not ban drink specials, but according to ALRC Chairman Kenneth Kamp, Majestic owner Nick Schiavo gave the ALRC the impression he would not have drink specials because they were not interested in student business, but rather an older crowd aged 30 to 40.
“A few members of the committee felt even though it was not one of the conditions on their liquor license, they have talked previously of not having drink specials,” Kamp said.
Currently, Club Majestic offers a $9 “all you can drink” special during weeknights. When ALRC members saw the drink special advertised in student newspapers, they became concerned because that is not what Schiavo implied, Kamp reported.
Schiavo said in an interview he felt duped because no one told him about the voluntary drink special advertising ban, and after he found out, Schiavo said he removed the ads.
“We’re not a campus bar. No one asked us to be beholden to all their restrictions,” Schiavo said.
Since the drink special ads were seen in newspapers, Schiavo said he has met with University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley. Schiavo said Wiley did not see a problem with Majestic’s drink specials, and offered to speak on Schiavo’s behalf at the upcoming ALRC meeting.
Majestic’s drink specials are offered in a more responsible manner than most bars’, Schiavo said, but that is not the way PACE Project Director Susan Crowley portrayed the specials to the ALRC at a previous meeting.
“Susan Crowley misrepresented [Wiley] by saying he was furious at the drink specials to the ALRC,” Schiavo said.
Schiavo said Majestic’s drinks each have one ounce of alcohol and are served in 12-ounce tumblers. Patrons may only order one drink at a time and shots are not included in the drink special.
“No one on average consumed more than four drinks. They get more than that in one drink at Crave,” Schiavo said, referring to Crave’s 12-ounce martini.
Crowley said she believes the drink special is targeting students because of the ads in student newspapers. She said the advertisements and the “all you can drink” special for such a cheap price are against what PACE, UW’s initiative to limit binge-drinking and drink specials, is working toward.
“They’re not consistent with efforts to limit drink specials,” Crowley said.
Schiavo said the variety of events Club Majestic holds, including live theater, live music, DJs and corporate events, brings a diverse crowd to the club, and that includes students. On Thursday nights, Majestic, which holds 472 people, may be filled with about 60 percent students, Schiavo said.
At next week’s ALRC meeting, Kamp said the committee would discuss the drink specials. The only way to prohibit Club Majestic from offering specials is through a voluntary liquor license condition.
Because Majestic removed the drink special ads and is working with UW on creating an alcohol-free underage night for those 18-21, Kamp said the ALRC might not be very critical of the club.
“I don’t believe we can do anything other than showing our concern,” Kamp said.
