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Panel denies renewal for 31 Bar & Grill after long history of violations, including assaults and fines
Summary
The Marion County board voted to deny renewal of D & E Groves LLC's liquor permit for 31 Bar & Grill (3131 Shelby St.) after multiple prior violations, fines and a recent shooting at the location were cited by excise staff and commissioners.
The Marion County Alcohol & Tobacco Commission voted to deny the renewal of the liquor permit for 31 Bar & Grill (D & E Groves LLC, 3131 Shelby Street) following a hearing in which excise staff detailed a long record of violations spanning multiple years.
Owner David Groves appeared and acknowledged a series of violations and fines dating back several years, including employee-permit lapses, expired permits, public-nuisance findings, and a $2,000 fine plus a three-day suspension in 2025 for a cluster of violations. Board members cited an accumulation of incidents under Groves' ownership and cited concern that the business had not sustained adequate corrective measures.
Commissioner Jim (Hennigan) moved to deny the renewal, saying the record showed escalation of risk to public safety. At least one commissioner cited a prior shooting associated with the venue and said the establishment had become a continuing public nuisance. The board voted in favor of denial. The excise officer explained the denial will be forwarded to the state commission for review; the state body will take final action at its meeting and will mail the license-holder notice of its decision.
Groves told the board he had recently increased his presence at the venue and had taken steps to address management and staffing issues; he asked the board for leniency. Board members acknowledged the owner had made changes but said the length and scope of the violation history outweighed recent steps. "Where there's smoke, there's fire," one board member said when explaining the motion to deny.
As with other denials at the hearing, the board recorded reasons that included public nuisance and failure to follow commission rules and identified the state commission as the review body for any appeal or further action.
