Boulder panel revokes Chicken on the Hill liquor license after police present underage-drinking and occupancy evidence

The Beverage License Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to revoke the hotel-restaurant liquor license held by Panko Corporation, doing business as Chicken on the Hill, after hearing police testimony and reviewing body-worn camera footage that the panel said showed repeated public-safety risks and underage drinking connected to the Thirteenth Street business.

The authority’s action followed testimony from multiple Boulder Police Department officers who described incidents in which underage patrons entered the bar using fraudulent identification, patrons were found unconscious and treated by emergency medical personnel, and the establishment appeared to be substantially over posted occupancy limits on multiple nights.

Members of the panel said the decision was driven by the pattern of incidents described by police officers rather than a single event. “Officer Stevens testified that on January 31 he estimated approximately 200 people inside when the posted occupancy sign indicated 72,” the authority noted in discussion after testimony (Officer Eric Stevens, Boulder Police Department). The panel also relied on follow-up investigations by the department’s liquor-enforcement officer and evidence that furniture and layout changes had been made on the premises.

Officer Eric Stevens, a member of the department’s Neighborhood Impact Team, testified that during a January 31, 2025 inspection he “would say my best estimate was approximately 200 people” inside Chicken on the Hill and described that level of crowding as a safety hazard that could impede…