Despite initially raising concerns about the bar, Mayor Paul Soglin confirmed Monday he would not veto an alcohol license for a new bar in the State Street Area.
HopCat, a Grand Rapids-based chain bar, will take the place of the former Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant and clothing retailer Bop on West Gorham Street.
While Soglin said he will not veto the HopCat’s approved liquor license, he said he still had various concerns about the bar.
“I’m very concerned about the commercial mix and the significant growth in alcohol-related premises and the decline of retail,” Soglin said.
Soglin said retail has been on a steady decline in the area over the past 20 years and that HopCat will only add to the problem.
Work had already begun on the HopCat location when Soglin announced his concerns about the number of existing liquor licenses on State Street. With the project already underway, Soglin decided against the veto he previously considered.
HopCat’s liquor license was approved unanimously by City Council.
Members of Madison’s Alcohol License Review Committee expressed some concern about the growing number of liquor licenses in the area and the nature of State Street retail, ALRC member Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, said. She said it would be unreasonable to deny HopCat’s license without undergoing a more comprehensive investigation of how the city can maintain State Street’s retail environment.
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HopCat is working to support downtown retail, Chris Knape, a spokesperson for HopCat’s parent company, Barfly Ventures, said. HopCat plans to create an incentive program for customers who bring in receipts from retailers on State Street, he said.
With Madison’s broad demographic of students, professionals and residents alike, Knape said having community support is important for HopCat.
“Madison is very much the kind of place that we thought a HopCat would fit really well,” Knape said.
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Madison’s appreciation for craft beer was an important attribute when determining location for the bar, and HopCat will feature Wisconsin’s largest tap selection of craft beer, Knape said.
“Beer nerds” are currently researching the best beers in Wisconsin and all over the world to display at HopCat’s opening, he added.
HopCat will also feature a full-time food menu and seating. Its seating and restaurant-style aesthetic helped calm concerns among the ALRC about “vertical drinking,” a feature of other local bars with high capacities but lack seating, Subeck said.
“I think that it has something to offer,” Subeck said. “It’s an appropriate addition to the area.”
Despite sharing the mayor’s concerns about the size of the location, which will add a second level to the building, Subeck said she was comforted by HopCat and Barfly’s good track record.
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“We hope to be a place where people can come and feel like they have a place where they feel comfortable and can enjoy a great glass of craft beer,” Knape said.
HopCat is set to open June 2015.
