After being found in violation of the city's beer code, Leapin' Leprechaun Pub and Eatery on Market Street will stop selling beer for three days this month.
The pub and restaurant, located at 100 Market Street directly across from the Tennessee Aquarium, is known for its Irish charm and reputation as a popular drinking spot downtown since its opening in 2016. On Thursday, city of Chattanooga beer board members cited the pub for two violations, handing down the punishment of suspending beer sales starting Thursday, Jan. 17 through Saturday, Jan. 19.
Board members first cited them for staying open past their closing time of 3 a.m. and then overserving drunk patrons. For the first violation, members unanimously voted to suspend sales for three days and for the second violation, they unanimously voted to suspend sales for three days but will allow the pub to serve that suspension during the same three-day time period as the first.
The pub will still be allowed to serve food and liquor, although they were also given a $750 fine from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which oversees liquor licenses. The city's beer board did not give them an option of a fine in lieu of the three-day suspension.
According to Chattanooga Police Department officer John Collins, officers and TABC agents were doing bar checks on the night of Thursday, Dec. 20 to make sure bartenders were not overserving customers and no one was driving home drunk.
Collins said there had been complaints from residents that live above the Leapin' Leprechaun that the bar was noisy, especially after it closed and inebriated customers were left outside. He said other police officers and bars in the area had said the pub sometimes stays open past it's closing time of 3 a.m., too.
Collins said they walked through the bar at 11 p.m. and then continued on to do other bar checks and returned to the Leapin' Leprechaun at 3:10 a.m., 10 minutes after closing. He said they found more than 20 customers still drinking. The small bar has an occupancy of 49.
At the meeting, the bartender that night said he was working alone and got "overwhelmed."
"I did lose track of the time, it was not blatant disregard (of the code)," he told beer board members. "It was an incredibly busy night going into the holidays and I got overwhelmed. I put that full responsibility on me that night."
The owner of the pub, Brendan O'Doherty, said he was not there that night but they have since added a second bartender to help, last call is now at 2:15 a.m. and they stop pouring drinks at 2;30 a.m.
For the second violation, Collins said they found "two obviously intoxicated people" leaving the bar with one of the them being a man they saw already inebriated during their walk-through at 11 p.m. Collins said it was obvious he continued to be served from 11 p.m to 3 a.m. Officers had to call rides for the two people.
"We split up our manpower, and we had to babysit his customers because he didn't have the manpower," Collins said.
O'Doherty said that the man who was very drunk was a local who has been a problem for other bars in the area, as well.
"Usually when he shows up that inebriated we tell him to sit down, and I've bought an Uber for him before," O'Doherty said.
O'Doherty said that he often tells bartenders to stop serving people who are obviously intoxicated. Board members encouraged bartenders get some more formal training.
"Having one bartender there with 49 people in the bar, obviously it is undermanned and understaffed," said board member Trevor Atchley. "I do understand that you make your best efforts but the lack of procedures is what I find concerning."
O'Doherty said he did not wish to comment further after the meeting.
Contact staff writer Allison Shirk Collins at ashirk@timesfreepress.com, @AllisonSCollins or 423-757-6651.