It's a Beautiful Day in Inner Town's Neighborhood

By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Oct 29, 2007 2:30PM

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.