Local bars battle security issues

By Andrea Barrack

An increase in business at The Hut, a local Santa Clara bar, has management responding with stricter security this year.

Doug Cookerly and his two colleagues gained ownership of The Hut in February 2004. According to Cookerly, the bar has seen about a 20 percent increase in business in the last year. He attributes the boost in business to the provisional closure of C and J's Sports Bar during summer.

Eighty percent of his clients are Santa Clara students.

Sean Woods, a San Jose State student and bartender, has worked at The Hut for about three months.

"Since I've been here, they've gotten better about security. What I've noticed is that they really locked down on IDs and stuff. You're only getting people that are of age here," he said.

C and J's Sports Bar received a legal sanction for their lax policy on valid identification earlier this year. According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, investigators documented C and J's employees selling alcohol to minors and allowing them on bar premises, resulting in the suspension of their liquor license for a 12-month term."As far as them opening back up, no one has any idea when or what's going to happen," Cookerly said.

Anny Madden, former Hut employee and Santa Clara alumna, recalled how The Hut lost business to other Santa Clara bars in the past since the other establishments were more lenient about checking for valid ID.

"At some other bars like C and J's or the Clarian, it was a little easier to get in there. A lot of students knew that, so The Hut lost a lot of their business," Madden said.

The practice, however, recently cost C and J's at least one year of business. Cookerly asserted that The Hut now confiscates five to 10 fake IDs a night, which they turn over to Santa Clara police.

"We're getting really popular now that C and J's closed and The Claran isn't doing really well, and we have such a strong following in the bar and restaurant business," she said.

However, a disadvantage accompanies Cookerly's business increase.

"When you get really popular, certain clientele hears about you, so they start to come by and you get an influx on your bar. They won't respect the property or the school or the students like we do," he said.

Cookerly called these people "The Undesirables."

"They're people who aren't out to have a good time, they're not out to respect others," he said.

Madden, who graduated in 1997 and is staff member at the Alumni Office, has been going to The Hut for about eight years and was once employed by the previous owner, Ray Lychak, also known as "Coach."

"He was really a stickler for the rules, so you knew you weren't getting in with a fake ID," Madden said.

Madden now questions the safety of The Hut after an altercation she witnessed on the evening of Sept. 12.

A non-Santa Clara student punched Madden's friend on the back patio of the bar. The man, who graduated from Santa Clara in 1998, hit his head on the concrete. "Some of the girls in one group started talking to the guys in our group, and I think some of those guys were jealous of that," Madden said.

When Madden and her friend tried to prevent a male from instigating a fight, he struck him and fell to the ground. They left the bar immediately after the incident.

"I've never seen anything like that happen in The Hut before -- just over nothing," she said. "It just seemed like they wanted to start something."

Madden said he heard a stabbing occurred at The Hut soon after they left, but Cookerly fervently denied the claim.

"A kid said that someone had stabbed a guy, but there was no one ever stabbed. It was a complete farce. There was no police report and there was no ambulance, so how could someone get stabbed?" Cookerly asserted.

Nonetheless, Madden has noticed a gradual change in The Hut that accompanied the new management and the influx of non-Santa Clara customers.

"It seems that there's a different atmosphere at The Hut. It's not the place where you can go and play pool, cause now they take the pool table out and they've got a dance floor. It's not our neighborhood bar like we used to have. It's not our Cheers," Madden said.

Woods, however, said that The Hut serves mostly Santa Clara students and only a handful of customers from San Jose and elsewhere. The bartender, who previously worked in San Jose, explained that all bars are susceptible to clients who drink irresponsibly.

"You have a few altercations when people just drink too much alcohol and they get in little scuffles here and there, but not a lot," Woods said. "It's really mellow over here."

When altercations occur, Cookerly insists that employees handle disputes appropriately and with the client's well being in mind. He also suggests that calling the police is not always appropriate.

"We just call them when we feel it's necessary," Cookerly said. "But the situations here are usually just pushing matches and kids getting out of hand. If necessary, if someone needs to go home for the night, we'll get him a cab and send him home for the night."

Madden had a different experience with management. She explained that an employee shouted at her and her injured friend to leave the premises before anybody came after them.

"This guy has the responsibility to take care of the people at his bar and their safety," Madden said. "He never once asked if my friend was OK."

After her negative experience, Madden will not return to The Hut.

"I fear for the students' safety. I won't go in there again, and it's kind of unfortunate because I've been going there for a long time."

But Cookerly claims The Hut is a safe, student-friendly bar.

"There's no threat of a stabbing here. Unless Santa Clara students are carrying knives, there won't be a problem."

*Contact Andrea Barrack at (408) 554-4546 or abarrack@scu.edu.