West Allis committee recommends revoking Drunk Uncle liquor license after patrons describe harassment, improvised operations

The Public Safety Committee of the Common Council of the City of West Allis voted unanimously on April 8 to recommend revoking the liquor license of Steffek LLC, which operates the bar known as The Drunk Uncle at 1902 South 60 Eighth Street, after hearing testimony from patrons, a bartender, and city and state investigators.

Committee Chair Suzette Grisham convened the hearing under Wisconsin Statutes section 125.12 and introduced the matter as a license complaint against Steffek LLC. The committee heard sworn testimony from several patrons and employees who described overlapping episodes in which the licensee, Neil Steffek, approached female customers while intoxicated, exposed his torso and urged reciprocity, and, in at least one instance, physically grabbed a patron's wrist. Allison V., a woman who testified that she was at the bar on March 30, 2024, said that when Steffek “lift[ed] up his shirt, exposing his chest to me, and then told me it was my turn,” she repeatedly declined and later said, “I am absolutely not doing that.” Another patron who identified himself as Logan described stepping in to shield a woman and said Steffek pushed a heavy shot of whiskey to the woman and kept pressuring her.

The committee also heard testimony from two other patrons who reported being threatened or verbally harassed outside the bar on separate nights. Dana C. told the panel she and others were called “white trash” and that the owner threatened to “shoot us,” a report that she said she later relayed to the West Allis Police Department. Officer Kyle Webster testified that police call notes show a caller reporting that the owner “came outside and threatened to shoot them” and that the caller said she would come to the station the next day to file a report.

State and city officials testified about regulatory compliance. Revenue field agent testimony established that the state revoked a seller’s permit for Steffek LLC effective July 18, 2024, and that a separate seller’s permit had been opened under a different trade name; the Department of Revenue witness said the business remained noncompliant for the entity named Steffek LLC. City tavern-check testimony showed officers periodically observed the establishment operating and, on at least one occasion, an absence of a licensed bartender until the owner returned and supervised service.

Neil Steffek, sworn and permitted to testify, denied many of the allegations and described some incidents as joking, and he disputed details about what the bar sold and how licensing applied. He acknowledged running the business roughly 12 years and that the location previously operated under other trade names.

After hearing direct and cross-examination, committee members deliberated in closed session and returned to open session. The committee voted to sustain counts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 (the panel dismissed count 4) and then voted 5-0 to recommend revocation of the liquor license; the recommendation will be transmitted to the full Common Council for consideration at its May 6 meeting. Chair Grisham said she found the witnesses’ testimony credible and Steffek’s testimony not credible, and that the committee’s recommendation was based on the pattern of conduct described at the hearing and observed compliance failures.

The committee’s action is a recommendation to the Common Council; the council may accept, modify, or reject the committee’s recommendation when it considers the matter. The hearing record and a written report of the committee’s findings and conclusions will be prepared and made available to the parties before the May 6 council meeting.

Votes at a glance: By roll call, the committee recommended revocation of Steffek LLC’s license, 5–0 (Chair Suzette Grisham — aye; Alderman Kevin Haas — aye; Alderman Ray Turner — aye; Alderman Chad Halverson — aye; Alderman McKean Rowe — aye). The committee earlier dismissed count 4 on a separate motion.