Under a business proposal submitted to the Alcohol License Review Committee last week, the downtown night club Madison Avenue would be turned into a bowling lounge and restaurant.
Should the proposal be approved, Michael Hierl, founder and president of Boutique Bowling, would open Segredo, a Brazilian-inspired food and entertainment facility.
“We’ve been looking for something like this to provide Madison with something that has more entertainment value,” Hierl said.
According to the proposal, the new venue would offer four lanes of bowling, a mix of Brazilian-developed floor games and Wii games played on large screen projection televisions.
The proposal also details plans for food service that will utilize the kitchen at Johnny O’s and provide meals for both establishments. Both Johnny O’s and Segredo’s new menus will be developed by chef and partner Ryan Dionne.
According to Hierl, the menu will consist of “platos style dishes where customers may order several dishes to share.”
He added the ingredients will be locally sourced when available, including plans for cocktails and “mocktails” that will utilize ice cream from Babcock Hall.
Some members of the ALRC are certain to have many questions concerning the alcohol license transfer. Madison Avenue has had a few issues in the past, including a license suspension last July. However, some members are encouraged by the new direction.
“I am absolutely in support of change and direction for Madison Avenue,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. “I’m particularly excited about alternative entertainment on campus.”
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, is also encouraged by the proposal and said it deserves support from the ALRC and the City Council.
“I am excited for the new dynamic it will create,” Eagon said. “It will provide a fun, safe, energetic place downtown, especially for 18- to 21-year-olds.”
Hierl said the segment of the population under 21 do not have enough legal options of entertainment and touts his plan as an “enhancement for the community.”
He added it is essential for communities to offer fun, alternative places to go for 18- to 21-year-old residents.
According to Hierl, a Madison native, he was introduced to the idea of the “boutique bowling lounge” in southern Brazil and wanted to bring the concept to Madison’s college demographic. He said it is a critical part of their business model, and if Segredo is successful they will be expanding to other college markets.
Hierl added the interactive entertainment and casual eating environment created by Segredo will be an alternative to the type of bars that thrive on drink specials and binge drinking.
“Every single [college town] is looking to address the issue of vertical drinking space,” Hierl said. “[Segredo] couldn’t be further from a dance club.”
Hierl also said it is crucial that the approval process moves quickly as he would like to have a grand opening in January, before the second semester.
“We’d like to bring a little touch of southern Brazil to Madison just in time for winter,” he said.
The ALRC will review the plan Oct. 21, and pending an approval, will go before Madison City Council in early November.