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Around Town
When lasted we checked in, all was not "love they neighbor" on the corner of Winchester and Thomas. Neighbors of the Inner Town Pub were angry about the drunken and sloppy behavior of the bar's patrons and wanted Alderman Manny Flores to do something about it.
This week's Chicago Journal has a nice little wrap-up of what's happened since. Bar representatives, upset neighbors and Flores have been meeting on a monthly basis to improve the situation and open up the channels of communication. Bartender Brandon Pool said that installing a security camera and hiring a bouncer for the busy weekends has helped make the bar a better neighbor. He also told the Chicago Journal, "Some people are making the case that people are stumbling out of here drunk; I disagree with that."
Chicagoist has not only seen people stumble out of Inner Town drunk, we've done it ourselves from time to time. Which is not to infer anything other than bars are places people go to drink (the verb), not places people tend to go to have a drink (the noun). Pool said he is working on getting all the bartenders at ITP trained under the state's Beverage Alcohol and Servers Education and Training program (BASSET), which would teach them how to identify someone who has been over-served, among other things.
Not surprisingly, the neighbors are concerned that the improvements they've seen are a short-term solution, and that once there is staff turnover, the bad behavior will return. If that's the case, neighbors could circulate a petition to get the bar's license revoked, which would need to be signed by a majority of voters within 500 feet of the bar. Following that, a public hearing officer would determine if the bar is a nuisance, and could ultimately decide that its liquor license should be revoked.
Image via ankylosaur.
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This is why people hate yuppies
How can you write about Inner Town Pub and NOT link to this: http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/953.html or this: http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Reviews/InnerTown/InnerTown.htm
The first link might be the best example of first person journalism this country has ever seen. Granted it's a litte dated from 2001, but you can see little things in the article that foreshadowed where we are today. Wowzas!
Innertown would make a sweet 'Tini' bar! Or even better: an upscale pet shop!
Stories/situations like this always get me angry.
It's like the people who moved in never went to a bar in their entire life, like the whole concept of "people in/leaving bars" is a completely foreign incomprehensible concept.
I mean, true, maybe the bar should ask the patrons to be polite and quiet when leaving (seen that sign on many neighborhood bars), but unless the the bar is harboring serious thugs (dealing drugs, fighting every weekend outside, people that destroy neighboring property), I don't think their license and such should come under fire.
(of course, I haven't been to this bar in a few years, did clientel change that drastically of late?)
It's the same as the idiots who live near O'Hare and complain about the noise, or the idiots who live near Wrigley complain about the traffic. The thing about the Innertown Pub neighbors is I bet they're all 30s or early 40s, probably not too far removed from the bar scene where they were stumbling drunk out of various neighborhood establishments at ungodly hours, loud, rowdy, vomity, who knows what else. The way Daley has been trying to close down all these great neighborhood bars, for just those reasons, I'm sure Innertown Pub is on the way out.
Not *everyone* leaving a bar shitfaced is rowdy and bothering neighbors. Some of us are too busy trying to remember where we parked our car to cause any trouble.
Mycube, if the clientel changed in the past few years, I don't see how that could be anything but an improvment in terms of noise.
I mean, true, maybe the bar should ask the patrons to be polite and quiet when leaving (seen that sign on many neighborhood bars), but unless the the bar is harboring serious thugs (dealing drugs, fighting every weekend outside, people that destroy neighboring property), I don't think their license and such should come under fire.
I agree completely. I've lived above a bar, and from that I know that it takes a real busybody with nothing better to do to raise this much of a stink over some loud noise and boorishness.
I've been yelled at outside of Innertown after closing. Those bouncer guys won't tolerate you even standing around quietly trying to decide which 4am to go to, let alone anything that would qualify as disturbing to the neighbors. Recently I've noticed the door guy is outside all the time, usually reading a book, keeping an eye on who's coming and going. Any recent complaints about disturbances have got to be bullshit.
As mentioned on this thread, the Chicago Bar Project and link to Inner Town Pub has moved to: http://www.chibarproject.com/Reviews/InnerTown/InnerTown.htm