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Elgin nixes bar's request for 6 a.m. license, would have been second in town

A bar seeking to be the second establishment in Elgin with a 6 a.m. liquor license was turned down Wednesday following concerns the city would become an all-night drinking destination.

Steve Roman, manager of Afterset at 158 Symphony Way, said it was unfair that the liquor control commission said “no” to his bar but “yes” to the same request earlier this year by Medusa club, a few blocks away on East Chicago Street.

“Our license is equal to what Medusa's had (before the change),” Roman said after the unanimous vote by commissioners, who are also city council members. “It is no different.”

Corporation Counsel Bill Cogley, who recommended turning down Afterset's request, said he was concerned about people “driving here from other jurisdictions to continue drinking, literally, into the morning hours.”

Granting a 6 a.m. license to Afterset would spark additional such requests by other establishments, Cogley said. “I don't know where the parade ends for a 6 a.m. license.”

This year, Afterset has been open only Fridays and Saturdays, although its license allows it a third day, Roman said.

Police responded to six fights each in 2015 and 2016 involving Afterset patrons, all but one taking place around closing time, Cogley said; Medusa, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have consistent closing-time issues because the crowd disperses earlier, he said.

However, Medusa hasn't taken full advantage of its new 6 a.m. license, Cogley said. Medusa owner Dave Shelton's goal with the 6 a.m. license was to attract a clientele of bar employees at the end of their work shifts, but a series of issues — both personal and building-related — have prevented him from moving forward with that concept, Cogley reported on Shelton's behalf.

Mayor David Kaptain pointed out the liquor commission will review all liquor licenses in April before they are due for renewal in May. The Afterset could seek to have its request revisited when the city has more data regarding 6 a.m. liquor license usage at Medusa's, Kaptain said.

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