The late night tour for the Madison Hospitality Zone Assessment began with a trek to the oldest of Madison’s traditional bars – the Essen Haus. The small but hearty tour group held up to the pressures of a bootful of beer, a two-piece polka band and lederhosen-laden servers. The group observed that the German-themed bar was a destination for many demographics; frat boys and bachelorette parties, young professionals and seasoned vets, families and singletons; and polka enthusiasts of all ilks.
The tour group progressed on to King Street to observe other watering holes. The next stop was the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, another popular site for a diverse crowd of older students, families and professionals. The group was treated to a sampling of the brewing company’s signature and specialty beers; a variety to please all palates. Dane co-owner Ted Peterson led the group on a tour of the pub and laid out the background of his successful bar/restaurant strategy. Ted emphasized the Dane’s commitment to quality, tasty foods in an evolving menu and training hospitable and dedicated servers to keep the ambiance safe and inviting as a bar and as a restaurant.
From the Dane the group took a walk to the other end of the geographical bar scene spectrum – the Memorial Union, student hangout extraordinaire. On the way they stopped into Woof’s, a gay, metal-themed sports bar; the Bartell Theatre, home to many theatre troupes and neighbor to a boisterously loud Café Montmartre; and Frida Mexican Grill, a Thursday night Latin dance club with a few obvious under-agers and even more obvious security guards. With occasional forays into other venues including the KK and State Street Brats, the troupe noted the diversity of patrons and music choices available on a typical night downtown. The Memorial Union offered a relatively quiet reprieve even though it was only the second visited venue to offer live (not DJ) music.
From the Union the tireless tour group marched on to Brothers Bar & Grill to witness a unique mix of hip-hop and teeny-bop students dancing around an unruffled security staff. Then the tour got really exciting when the group caught up with two Central District Community police officers on their rounds to dragnet under-agers in Johnny O’s Restaurant & Bar. The officers described their usual methods for sweeping bars and spotting under-aged patrons and what usually happens to the individuals and bars after such issues occur. They noted that bars and police work more effectively when working in cooperation to enforce age laws and a safer and friendlier environment for patrons prevails.
After tagging along for a sweep, the tour group took a break for some pizza at the popular Ian’s Pizza to regroup and recharge. From there they crossed the street to Wando’s Bar & Grill and closed down the evening talking to owner Jay (Wando) Wanserski. Wando shared his philosophies and standards for creating a safe, clean and welcoming bar for students and patrons. Wando chooses to focus on training his staff to make safety a priority – security staff and bartenders are supposed to be aware at all times of environmental hazards, such as a broken glass, and social hazards, like intoxicated individuals, and are required to step in to intercept potential dangers. In Wando’s opinion, a bar that does well has no need to take safety risks such as letting in under-agers and serving already intoxicated individuals.
At closing time the bars emptied out and the streets filled up. As there are few late-night options for public transportation and limited opportunities for taxi services, most of the people who were until recently partying hard now had to either make their way home on their own or find food to sober up. A popular spot for the latter, Ian’s Pizza, features fast service and well-lit dining areas to improve safety. Many restaurants that are open late have hired their own security to handle the late night swell of customers. A campus police officer met with the group and discussed what happens to many of the individuals that try to walk or drive home on their own and how the campus and city police work around and with each other to control the outpouring.
By that time it was well into the wee hours of Friday morning and the tour group felt they had seen all that could be seen in one night of downtown Madison revelry. The group parted ways and walked or taxied home. The hospitality tourists learned and observed much about the late-night culture and will be presenting their notes alongside the other assessment groups at the HZA roundtable discussions June 3rd and 4th.
For more information on how to get involved in the HZA process, contact Sarah Hoover or check out the official Madison HZA website.
