Members of the city's Alcohol License Review Committee engaged in a three-hour walk-along tour beginning at 11:30 p.m. Friday night to familiarize themselves with the establishments to which they award or deny liquor licenses.
Escorted by Cpt. Carl Gloede of the Madison Police Department, committee members began their tour at Madison's, 119 King St., near the Capitol Square, then continued down State Street and along University Avenue before visiting the Kollege Klub at 529 N. Lake St.
""It's the difference between day and night,"" Dawn Crim, director of community relations at UW-Madison and member of the ALRC, said about the State Street district. ""You don't realize how completely different these bars are at night.""
ALRC Chair David Hart agreed with Crim, saying the night had been an eye-opening experience.
""I never would have been out here on my own,"" Hart, who usually only visits a bar when it pops up on the MPD's radar, said. ""It definitely has been interesting and helpful."" The up-close and personal aspect proved especially helpful when committee members visited both Chasers, 319 W. Gorham St., and Mondays, 523 State St.
At Chasers, which was recently given approval to expand their outdoor patio, ALRC members said the entryway was blocked to a point where people could not get in and out, and one could not identify who staff members were. Both issues could be potential hazards in an emergency, Gloede said.
According to Katherine Plominski, Madison's Alcohol Policy Coordinator, Monday's was completely over capacity and there was not enough staff to handle the overabundance of patrons. The garbage cans were overflowing, which could easily become a hazard when glass bottles begin to spill out.
""In the case of a fire or in an emergency, the population would be too dense to maneuver and it becomes a liability,"" she said. ""With an over-capacity [bar] you can't serve your patrons in a timely fashion and then you have upset patrons and drinks spilling everywhere.""
Other issues that arose throughout the night included the difference between a bar and a restaurant.
At least 50 percent of annual revenue must come from food sales in order for an establishment to be an actual restaurant.
For some bars who may want to expand their establishments, that 50-percent mark can be increasingly difficult to reach when trying to convert into a restaurant.
ALRC member Tom Landgraf said Wando's Bar and Grill, 602 University Ave., is interested in expanding their property, but because on a best day it often can only get 18 percent of sales from food, it must remain a bar.
