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Committee denies transfer of Black Bar and Bites liquor license after members cite alleged complaints
Summary
The Economic Development Committee voted to deny a transfer of a Class B tavern and public entertainment license for Black Bar and Bites, citing alleged noise, after-hours operations, overserving and fights; the licensee disputed the allegations and said corrective steps have been taken.
The West Allis Economic Development Committee voted to deny a transfer of a Class B tavern and public entertainment license for Black Bar Bites, Wisconsin Corporation, doing business as Black Bar and Bites, for the location at 9105 West Lincoln Avenue.
A committee member moved to deny the transfer and reviewed alleged complaints tied to the existing license: the member cited what were characterized in the record as 13 noise complaints, two after-hours complaints, three to four instances of overserving and seven fights. The member said camera footage had on several occasions been requested and was not available for some incidents. The mover argued that those allegations made approving a transfer to a substantially larger space, listed in the record as 399-person capacity, a poor fit.
Jennifer Pierce, identified in the meeting as the agent for Black Bar and Bites, disputed some of the claims and described steps she said the business had taken. Pierce said she had provided camera footage to police when requested and that she had added security and made operational changes at the current site. "I've never had a fight inside of my bar. Never had anything, you know, crazy happen there," Pierce said, adding that the proposed site has a parking lot and building separation she said would reduce noise and street impacts.
A representative of the citys legal staff explained that the transfer under consideration is treated as a new license application for committee review and that previous reports may be considered at that stage. After discussion, the committee called the question and the motion to deny the transfer carried; the chair declared, "The ayes have it." No amendment or conditional approval was offered in the meeting record.
The committee record shows questions about prior enforcement contact and whether the license had been the subject of prior city outreach; Pierce said she had spoken once with the city attorney earlier in the year. The meeting did not record a directive for further monitoring or an appeal timeline; applicants wishing to reapply or challenge the committees action would need to follow established licensing procedures with the city clerk and licensing authority.
