DANE 101: Red Rock Saloon reconsidered and alcohol for Library fundraisers debated

This post orginally appeared at Dane 101 [1]. It was written by Ryan Engel

The September meeting of Madison's Alcohol License Review Committee (ALRC) saw the return of Red Rock Saloon, new business from some Madison favorites, and a great deal of on-the-spot legal opinion from an assistant city attorney.

Motions made and voted on by the ALRC are recommendations that are next voted on by Madison's Common Council; the next Common Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1 at 6:30 pm.

ALRC Members present: Lisa Subek (City Alder), Ann Zambie (City Resident), Michael Donnelly, (City Resident), David Hart (City Resident, and who left the meeting early), Sam Stevenson (City Resident), Shiva Bidar-Sielaff (City Alder, and who arrived while the meeting was in progress), and Mike Verveer (City Alder, also arrived with the meeting already in progress).

New Licenses, Referred from Previous Meetings

Red Rock Saloon :: 322 W Johnson St.

This application, for a combination lunch and dinner restaurant and entertainment venue, originally came before the ALRC at its Aug. 21 meeting.  At that time, and after lengthy ALRC discussion, the business owners agreed to return with a detailed business plan, a requirement of the Entertainment Venue exemption under which they applied.

A month later, and with a business plan now included in their application, the saloon still faced a series of specific follow-up questions from ALRC members. One area of inquiry related to planned entertainment for the 18+ crowd, with ALRC Member Zambie specifically asking about country line dancing, and Stevenson inquiring about opening up all live music shows to an 18+ crowd, as opposed to the proposed plan of doing so only for nationally known acts.  Another series of questions related to the nature of attractions versus "events" (an important distinction related to the Entertainment Venue exemption), with related questions about sales of food versus alcohol on different days of the week.

The ALRC ultimately approved a motion to grant both the 18+ Performing Arts License, with heavy encouragement that the owners of Red Rock Saloon offer as many 18+ entertainment events as possible, and a full beer and liquor license under the Entertainment Venue exemption, so long as Red Rock always provide food service when not hosting live entertainment, and with a requirement that the owners provide sales reports once each at a point 30 and 60 days after opening.

New licenses for new businesses/discussion:

United Indoor Soccer :: 5018 Blazing Star Dr.

United Indoor Soccer is an indoor soccer facility located on Madison's far southeast side, and its agent appeared before the ALRC seeking a license to sell beer alongside a Mexican-inspired menu to teams during and after soccer games.  Though no members of the ALRC seemed opposed to granting the license, and in fact at least one member made reference to an indoor volleyball arena in Middleton with a similar business model, Assistant City Attorney Roger Allen expressed concern about some underlying legal issues based on the nature of the business and current state legal code.

Members of of the committee talked through the situation with a representative of the Madison Police Department, the assistant city attorney, and the business agent, and in the end the license application was approved, with a requirement to sell food whenever selling beer and a restriction on where in the building alcohol can be served and consumed.

Underground Catering :: 201 W Mifflin St.

The legal discussion generated by United Indoor Soccer turned out to be just a warm up for for the discussion generated by the next item on the ALRC agenda.  Underground Catering, sister business to Forequarter and Underground Butcher, applied for a full license to serve alcohol inside Madison's new Central Library.  Though primarily planning to cater events in a third floor auditorium and art gallery, Underground Catering requested a full liquor license that would apply to the whole building, a reflection of Madison Public Library Foundation's desire to host a small handful of annual fundraising galas that would make use of the entire library space.

Mindful of the Madison Children's Museum's earlier experience, in which a full license was approved by the ALRC only to have the State Department of Revenue object to the license, and with a curious eye aimed at other museums and community-oriented spaces within the city, the ALRC ultimately approved a motion for a full license to operate in specific spaces: the entirety of the 3rd floor, a program room on the ground floor, and a conference room on the third floor.

New licenses, Consent Agenda

Via the consent agenda, the ALRC approved the following new licenses:

O.S.S :: 910 Regent St.

Described as a "fast casual" restaurant, O.S.S. plans to offer a lunch, dinner, and late-night menu of soups and sandwiches plus soda, beer, and milk shakes.  It will include seating for 60 inside and another 60 on an outdoor patio.  Owner Christopher Soukup also operates Baumgartner Cheese Store and Tavern in Monroe, WI.

Viet Bistro :: 658 W Washington Ave.

This Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant restaurant originally opened in April 2012 and plans to add wine and beer to its lunch and dinner service.

Bassett Street Brunch Club :: 444 W Johnson St.

The Food Fight restaurant group plans to expand its Madison-area empire in the form of the Basset Street Brunch Club.  Located within a soon-to-open Hampton Inn hotel in downtown Madison, this restaurant hopes to capitalize on a mix of hotel guests, area residents, downtown professionals, and Kohl Center event-goers.  Menu plans include modern versions of comfort food classics, cocktails, and beer in a space made up of booth seating, a lunch counter, a bar and cocktail area, and an outdoor patio.

Asian Midway Foods :: 301 S Park St.

A longtime fixture in Park Street, this Asian grocery store plans to add beer sales in order to satisfy customer requests.

Barriques :: 1825 Monroe St.

Purveyor of coffee, wine, beer, and spirits, the original Barriques location intends to move one building north, from 1831 Monroe St. to 1825 Monroe St.  The move will increase the capacity of the cafe, provide an area for private events, and upgrade back-of-house operational space.  If all goes as planned, the new location will open on or around November 15.