Madhatters Bar and the Regent Street 7-Eleven voiced their concerns to the Alcohol License Review Committee Wednesday, asking for increases in capacity limits and further licensure to keep up with other local businesses.
Madhatters owner Ted Gervasi said he would like to increase the capacity of his establishment from its current 200 occupants at any given time. Gervasi said it was not a fair number considering the bar’s popularity, citing lines that will often go down the block on busy nights.
“We have a lot of angry customers because they just can’t understand we’re technically overcapacity, and they come back yelling at me, ‘there’s nobody up there, why don’t you let us up there?'” Gervasi said.
He also proposed the addition of a kitchen to serve food in the establishment. Madison Police Department Captain Richard Bach, however, expressed concerns over ongoing issues with “overcapacity” and “lack of good management or staffing.”
Bach cited a specific incident in late August when officers entered the bar to check on capacity issues. On two separate counts, they found the establishment to be at least 50 people overcapacity. Also, they noted only one security person or bouncer floating in the upstairs portions and identified multiple underage individuals who had entered the bar using fake or borrowed IDs.
Due to these citations, the council voted not to allow the capacity increase for the time being. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he would like to “see a longer pattern of good operating” before granting the change in the alcohol licensure and permission to build a kitchen in the establishment.
Additionally, the committee heard the case of James Fiene, owner of the 1401 W. Regent St. 7-Eleven store. Currently, the location is not permitted to sell single serving cans of alcoholic beverages, which are more than 25 ounces in volume, despite the fact the the Kwip Trip convenience store on the same block is allowed to sell similar products.
Fiene expressed major concerns about being able to compete with the neighboring convenience store and asked to be granted the same accommodations on his license. This would allow him to also sell popular drinks that come in large single-serving cans, such as Four Lokos.
“Today I’m losing business on that street. I have a very honorable privilege to sell liquor in the city of Madison and I’ve honored that and respected that,” Fiene said.
This issue is especially relevant to students due to the stores’ proximity to Camp Randall. However, Verveer said, in his opinion, it was not because of the students that this restriction originally came about.
“It is the problem with street alcoholics, or people that suffer from alcoholism and are living on the streets of downtown Madison,” Verveer said.
The council ruled to refer further discussion to the committee’s next meeting in October.
Correction: the current capacity of Madhatters is 200 occupants, not 150.
