Bar owners’ concerns about limited game day hours for beer gardens continue to grow, although there has been no official conversation about changing policy yet.
Jim Luedtke, general manager of the Stadium Bar, said problems with the recent outdoor hockey game further raised concern. People were running from the stadium to use the public restroom, but the establishment was not able to let anyone in because the beer garden was forced to close before the game ended.
The policy was drafted in 1998 and said bars would have to close their beer gardens at 8 p.m. for events before 5 p.m. and at 10 p.m. for later events. The agreement was reached between the city, the bar owners and the university, according to Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5.
“A lot of bar owners have been struggling with the fact that we do have night games,” Mark Woulf, University of Wisconsin senior and member of the Alcohol License Review Committee, said. “I know they’ve been forced to close early even though the game is still not over.”
Woulf said the policy is trying to help neighborhood residents by reducing noise. Bidar-Sielaff said neighborhood concerns would require great consideration in any future discussion about changing the conditions.
Luedtke was involved with the drafting of the 1998 policy. He said the beer gardens play an important role in the neighborhood as destination places for people to watch the game and meet afterwards.
“I have announced a little after halftime that we have to close soon and people have thrown cans at me,” Luedtke said. “There’s no common sense involved in trying to explain to them why we cannot stay open.”
Bidar-Sielaff said if any official conversations were to start, the ALRC would handle them. She said the conversation should include perspectives from the city, neighborhoods, police departments and the university.
Allowing the beer gardens to remain open longer would help the neighborhood not hinder it, Luedtke said. He added the later closing time would deflect some of the gridlock that happens after the game.
“When you allow people to leave at their leisure, there is a lot less pandemonium involved,” Luedtke said.
