Appleton establishments answer demerit hearings after underage-sale stings; city attorney outlines enforcement options

Seven Appleton alcohol-license holders appeared before the City of Appleton Safety and Licensing Committee on Wednesday to address “dispensing to a minor” violations that carry demerit-point penalties, and city legal staff presented options for tightening enforcement and remedies for establishments that fail to appear when summoned.

Committee Chair Chris Crowe said the appearances were meant to allow establishments to explain the events and the corrective steps they have taken. “What we ask establishments to do for these appearances is address the violation and talk about any actions that you've taken to correct it from happening in the future,” Crowe said.

The appearances included owners and managers from the Bar on the Avenue, Badger Mobile, Festival Foods (Northland store), Good Company, Hideaway Bar, Rascals Bar and Grill and one establishment that submitted a written response. Several speakers described human error and training changes after sting operations led to 80-point violations for serving underage customers.

Kyle Willenkamp, co-owner of the Bar on the Avenue at 427 W. College Ave., said a bartender “did card the person which was on camera” but “got their months mixed up,” and that he added a daily reminder on staff…