In response to underage drinking violations against the Kollege Klub, 529 N. Lake St., the Alcohol License Review Committee ruled Monday that the restaurant and bar must shut down completely for a 20-day period and receive a $1,588 fine.
According to Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Zilavy, the suspension will be in effect from Jan. 25 to Feb. 14 and will cost the Kollege Klub and owner Bruce Meier several thousand dollars.
\[The closure] will result in a substantial loss of approximately $40,000,"" Zilavy said.
The shutdown of both the restaurant and bar will not start until after the winter recess at UW-Madison ends, normally a prosperous time for the business, according to city officials.
The fine erases of the 17 counts of underage drinking in a single evening last February on the Kollege Klub premises. The infractions were noteworthy because they occurred on a Wednesday evening, when fewer people typically go out to bars than on weekends, according to ALRC member William Cosh.
Zilavy said previous violations, including underage drinking, had occurred within the restaurant and bar in 2001, 1998 and 1997.
ALRC chair Ald. Tim Bruer, District 14, said that in light of the Kollege Klub's past infractions, the new punishment could be considered lenient.
""Should another violation occur, the ALRC may recommend that [the Kollege Klub] moves out of the downtown area to one with less chance of [underage drinking],"" Bruer said. ""If the Kollege Klub has nine lives like a cat, it's down to its eighth.""
Attorney Charles Giesen defended the Kollege Klub and condemned the ALRC's decision.
""[The punishment results in] sacrificing of the food business which has nothing to do with the infraction,"" he said.
In defense of the establishment, he cited its policy of exclusively hiring licensed bartenders who are better prepared to face problems and described new steps instituted to combat underage drinking, including cameras being installed to watch the bouncers.
A visibly distraught Meier expressed some concern toward the committee's decision.
""I understand totally, but I think the real problem isn't being addressed,"" he said.
Meier pointed to students carrying multiple fake IDs. A person under 21 will use a ""good"" ID to gain admittance, but once inside, if confronted by police, a ""throw-away"" ID will be presented in order to prevent the seizure of the better ID, he said.
Susan Crowley, director of the Policy Alternative Community and Education coalition, a group that works to prevent binge drinking, said the ALRC's decision will have repercussions throughout the campus area.
""I think that the action of the ALRC will cause other tavern owners to think about the kinds of ways they are carding and ID-ing students,"" she said.
