On Thursday, February 22nd, the City of Hoboken Alcoholic Beverage Control {ABC} held a meeting to discuss major issues concerning various bars in town {stemming from SantaCon and other infractions}. As a result, several bars in town are now facing suspensions up to 30 days. These suspensions will run through March, meaning the bars affected will not be open for LepreCon. The City just sent out a local alert, which can be viewed here. Read below for more details:
According to the City of Hoboken’s Facebook page, Mayor Ravi Bhalla is quoted as saying, “This represents a major accomplishment in fulfilling my commitment on Inauguration Day to address this public safety nuisance. The vast majority of bar owners are responsible license holders, but a very small number of establishments have failed to adequately control their patrons and the activities within their premises, leading to severe public safety issues. The discipline agreed to by the owners is appropriate and I hope will lead to an understanding that public safety is a top priority and that the ABC board will not hesitate to enforce the liquor license regulations.”
Bars affected include:
Hoboken Bar + Grill — 30-day suspension to begin immediately (February 23, 2018)
Green Rock Tap and Grill — 20-day suspension, one day of which is March 3, 2018.
Mill’s Tavern — 24-day suspension which includes being closed March 3, 2018.
The Shannon — two-day suspension to be served March 3 and March 4, 2018.
1 Republik — Closed on March 3, 2018 and shall close on May 21, 2018 for a 30-day suspension. After the 30-day suspension, the establishment shall permanently close pending transfer/sale of the license to new ownership. According to an inside source, their liquor license will be “clean” but in exchange, they can only operate for 90 more days as 1 Republik and then they have to close.
Six other establishments agreed to settlements, but received lesser penalties, according to the City’s website.
Additionally, the State of New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Alcohol Beverage Control has agreed to send 12 to 14 State ABC detectives to Hoboken on March 3, 2018. Along with Hoboken Police ABC detectives, they will be monitoring establishments to ensure compliance with all ABC regulations, including not admitting underage guests, not over-serving patrons, not exceeding capacity, and other health and security regulations.
We’ll keep you posted as we know more. Share your thoughts in the comments, below.
