A popular downtown bar restaurant received approval from a city committee Wednesday evening to move the establishment closer to campus.
The Alcohol License Review Committee granted State Street’s Buffalo Wild Wings request to transfer from its current location to a currently unoccupied space in East Campus Mall’s University Square building, commonly known as the Lucky Apartment building.
Buffalo Wild Wings owner Greg Meyers said the bar needed a change of venue following almost 18 years of occupying its current location. When the move comes through, the restaurant will be the night owl of the building as it will maintain its 3 a.m. closing time.
Meyers said he has worked with the area’s new alder Scott Resnick, District 8, as well as Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, Madison Police Department Captain Carl Gloede and the city’s alcohol policy coordinator Mark Woulf – all of whom he said were supportive of the move.
Still, ALRC’s university representative Tom Seger said the transfer could be somewhat problematic because the new location is surrounded by private residences that might not easily take to the addition of a bar in the area.
Seger also raised a concern about how the 80 percent-20 percent split between food and alcohol mix would fit into the community.
“We hope that you can talk to us and suggest that you look to the university as a partner,” Seger said.
The committee also approved a provision to allow Logan’s bar, located on West Johnson Street, to serve alcoholic beverages on the outside premise of the establishment when it opens a new team volleyball court in its parking lot during the spring and summer.
Logan’s manager Adam Mais said with the new court, the venue would also add a new menu and a variety of specials that would directly correlate with the seasonal courts.
The courts would only be operational early afternoon to early evening between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Mais said the addition would give Madisonians an additional activity to do during the summer aside from typical downtown bar-hopping.
MPD officer Mary Schauf said the proposal could be a problem because of the increased noise levels in the neighborhood the courts might cause. Mais contested the accusation and said because the courts would be closed before bar-time, the noise level should not cause a major concern for the city.
The campus can also expect to see business continue as usual at the popular downtown Kollege Klub on Lake Street, which the committee approved for an alcohol license renewal.
The committee granted the request under the conditions the new license would keep the same hours of operation, employment and target market registered under the bar’s current regulations.
Despite a recent trend across downtown establishments, Kollege Klub’s co-owner Jordan Meier said the bar had no intentions of applying for a venue license that would allow for individuals under the age of 21 to participate in entertainment options.
Meier also said the bar would maintain its monthly compliance meetings with MPD, which he said have proven to be helpful in establishing a good relationship with the department in order to address any concerns.
“The line of communication is open between the department and the Kollege Klub and we have a very functional relationship now,” Jordan said.
