Chasers, a new restaurant and bar that will open Thursday was granted a liquor license by the City Council Tuesday night.
Chasers will be replacing Quinton’s Bar and Deli at 319 W. Gorham St., which closed its doors for the last time Sunday night.
According to Bill Rudy, owner of Chasers, it has always been his dream to open a restaurant near campus, adding Chasers will bear resemblance to Quinton’s but will bring something more to the table.
“We had been looking for business in Madison for the past four years (and) Quinton’s is a great place to build on,” Rudy said.
Rudy said Chasers will be a great establishment for many University of Wisconsin students to hold jobs.
The Alcohol License Review Committee granted Chasers a liquor license, which mandates the bar must stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m., though the establishment will be open until 2:30 a.m. and can sell food until closing.
Rudy said he thinks the ALRC possibly wants Chasers to disperse people onto the streets sooner than other liquor establishments.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Quinton’s had to close their doors an hour before bar time.
Over the years Verveer said he received a number of questions and complaints concerning the early closing of Quinton’s.
He describes Chaser’s license a “more liberal license proposal that their patrons will appreciate.”
Also, under the terms of the ALRC, Chasers has to receive 55 percent of its revenue from food while only 45 percent of profits can be earned from alcoholic purchases.
According to Katherine Plominski, Madison alcohol policy coordinator and member of the ALRC, Quinton’s had its liquor license suspended for three days this past June for violating the conditions of their liquor license.
To meet the status of a restaurant, Quinton’s needed to earn 50 percent of its gross through food sales said Plominski, but 52.8 percent of profits were gained through alcohol sales.
Verveer added the reason why the ALRC had issues with Quinton’s is because the committee was unsure Quinton’s was a bona fide restaurant.
“The city conducted not one but two audits of Quinton’s books over the last two years,” Verveer said. “The first audit was inconclusive because the city auditors’ stated they could not figure out Quinton’s book.”
The restaurant and bar, named after Rudy’s son Chase, will be managed by his eldest daughter. Both his son Chase and Rudy’s youngest daughter will be members of the staff.
The bar is “Chasers,” instead of “Chase’s,” because the prior is a nickname his son has gotten over the years.
Rudy added all three of his children are UW students and many of their friends will be waiters at Chasers.
In 30 days, Chasers will also undergo minor construction to its kitchen, Rudy added.
