prearranged and in our incidents or in our case, we actually have a higher patron minimum per bottle than most venues which is ten. and because, it is easier for us to monitor how much someone is drinking with the bottle service, and each table has their own server. and that serves them their drinks, and if the table wants to go dance on the dance floor, and they give their bottle to the server and they bring it behind the bar and hold on to it and each section in our venue, has or is roped off, and the table service for the patrons that have the table service, have a wrist band and can only get into that section with the wrist band and each section has a security guard that is stationed. >> do you ever let the patron serve themselves? >> it is hard to say as far as if they do or if they don't. i don't want to say that they

don't but they do have a designated server that is there waiting they might get up and serve them something before the server can get there and serve, but mainly, the server if there is ten patrons, we want the server to get the drinks out right away. and then it is monitored that way and a litter bolts and anywhere from 20 to 30 drinks depending on how much alcohol is in the drink. and there is also a report that, you know, in april, discussing this was reported by the sfpd and a group of 20 that came and ordered one, bottle. of gray goose and the birthday girl was intoxicated and left which we helped them and the group is very responsible of getting the birthday girl out and we helped them outside and waited and helped them wait until the ride picked them up.

and as far as bottle service goes though, we might have a different perspective or how we view this. and i feel that we can monitor our bottle service, better, than our patrons, because i see issues with our patrons being over served because we have a huge bar, we have two bars and they can order a drink from any of the six bartenders, and when the bottle service you can monitor it a little bit better. >> and the last thing that iment i wanted to ask about, is it seems like the police were just sitting right outside of atmosphere and that constantly how it is with two police cars, kind of sitting there in front of atmosphere all night long? >> you know, sometimes, there isn't, but the majority of the time, yes. >> so are they parked in front of the clubs down the street, as well? >> i don't usually, i mean i am

at my venue, but just looking across the other venues, they are not really parked there. >> okay. thank you. >> what do you think the discrepancy and the actual, and i am going to ask the officer to come up in a minute and ask him the same question, what do you think the actual discrepancy comes from between the police report and what you are reporting? >> i think that it is just a lack of communication between us. and it is something that me and the officer have recently been discussing of how we can communicate better, whether that is when an incident happens, we check in with sfpd and they check in with us. and also, sometimes just because a person gets escorted out of our venue does not necessarily mean that it is a

fight and most of the time, a lot of the time someone gets escorted out of the venue and they are okay inside, but once they get outside, they want to put on a show. but i think that it is mainly communication. and something that has been going on for five years that there is a gap between us, that we need to get together with. >> but then can you understand how this commission feels when we have incident reports of march second and ninth, 15, 24, two on the 22nd, and it is a lot for any venue even one your size. >> especially with the sfpd right there to assist you right outside of the venue. i mean, maybe they see all of the incidents, but at the same time i would think that would reduce? >> yeah, but the presence of the police cars traditionally

have been a deterrent and if the patrons are so brave that they don't care that san francisco finest is parked out there or on patrol, it speaks a lot to who is going to broad way. >> yes. and i think that also, a lot of the discrepancy in the reports are they are saying that it happens right in front of atmosphere, when the majority when i look at a lot of the reports and find similarities, is a lot of the things that are happening down past right there on montgomery and there are issues that we are addressing over there. >> and so the report requires an address and your address is convenient, is what you are saying? >> sometimes, yes. >> commissioner lee? and i think that you know, i don't know if we want to take any particular action at this time. but, let's try to move in that direction if we are.

>> so, do you really need to take party buses? is your business really rely on party buses? i mean a lot of us stopped taking them and making it known and i know that the party bus express and they run great companies, but my second question is do they have, they are supposed to have escorts on the bus, don't you have communications with the escorts to move them before they all come outside and clog up the sidewalk? >> these are things that i think that you can do if you have to take these party buses. >> yes. so, i am not sure, if you guys have time to review some of the things that the officer may have been discussing. one of the things is that we purchase new barricades for when our neighboring venue is not opened. that we can have a party bus barricaded line, in our alley. and i think that the real main issue though, that we are trying to tackle, is more of

the buses that aren't schedule and aren't coming. >> but if you just cut out the party buses completely, so that nobody knows that, and even if a renegade bus wanted to come to atmosphere, they could not come, they are going to be turned away. >> stop them from unloading. >> that is very difficult. >> because sometimes the security can't get there and unless you block the door they all pile out and there are 40 of them. >> i understand, even if you stopped the party buses if a rogue bus showed up and unloaded, then it becomes his security problem. >> but if they are down the street unloading and coming up, you see the whole idea of what i am saying if it is known that you don't take them, the word gets around that there is no use going there. so, i mean, every so often, yeah, i get, one or two and it has been arranged. but you already have that protocol with the officer. but >> they are not on broad way.

>> i am just asking a question, do you really, it is only you, and monroe right now that have dance clubs. the other one may have one, i don't know how often they are opened or whatever they are doing and the other one is a sports bar basically, but you are the two only dance clubs on broad way. >> after being there for five years and trying to tackle this... >> i am saying without the party bus theres should be enough traffic that you could cater to. >> and can you answer the question? >> yeah. >> after trying to tackle this for five years, and that is you know, something that has been brought up numerous times. i don't think that is going to stop all of these buses from coming to broad way. i have seen a huge improvement now with sfpd in moving it is rogue buses and i think that those are the ones that are

really the issues. and i add that there is a lot of nights where we don't even get party buses. >> how is that come, when you have no party buses, how are those nights? is the crowd maintained and no drama. >> well, i mean, actually... >> and i don't see a..., and i don't see a big adjustment as far as when there is not a party bus and there is no incident. as far as what i look at as getting the people there and getting them out fast, it is a big issue is when everyone is 500 people leave a venue, it is more of getting them out of there faster and, believe it or not, the walk out from our venue and hop on a bus and get rid of 20 plus people it actually helps. and the ones that are lingering around and then mixing in with the people that are not going to any of the venues is a big issue. >> do you have the barricade

and the lines for exiting? >> yes. >> okay. >> and did you say that there are people lingering on the sidewalk? >> i mean that it is a, it is a lingering everywhere, pretty much on broad way. yeah. >> and it is hard. >> commissioner akers? >> thank you for coming tonight and presenting. we asked you here because we were hearing numerous incidents. and you say that there is cop cars parked in front of your place that appears to be, that exclusive, some what exclusive. so, i think that because there is cop cars there, pretty frequently, that they are capturing and recording, and documenting more incidents. and so i am, and so it makes me think that if there were cop cars parked regularly, in front of another business, for a sample of time, would we see the same, you know, because they are there to see it and

witness it and document it and it appears as though you have more just specifically in that one place. and i don't necessarily think that the presence of cop cars are always a deterrent for people to act out. these situations, for example, when you said that people want to put on a show, when they leave, on the outside, that there is a number of factors that can be conditions as to why there is more insiting possibly, maybe security guards are concerned to look good in front of the police officers. so they may be acting tougher. or more aggressive than they might normally if the cops were not there to witness it. because people want to you know make sure that they are doing the right thing or looking good. so i don't, i don't necessarily think that it is just the patrons or atmosphere, i think that it is an entire condition.

the one thing that i heard that i didn't like, which i, if i was that patron, even if i was in there with a friend, and there were two of us in a stall, i know that i would definitely complain, if one of your staff looked over the stall at me and that is pretty embarrassing. so, that is just the one thing that you might want to consider, a less aggressive approach when you have two patrons in the same stall. >> well, i would say at least knock on the door and don't look over. >> yes. >> and there is no reason to look over. >> and though that they knocked numerous times. >> i bet that they did. i am sure that they did. and they are going to come out at some point and, then they can be ejected for not coming out. >> so service, and so you obviously do, and you over serve a lot of patrons. and i understand that you are

very large bars, and they can go to any bartender. but, if your bartenders are good, they can tell when they should not be serving someone, do you do bartender training >> they have done lead training. >> do you have bar meetings? regular bar meetings like once a month once a week or something in >> they have them every third weekend. noe. do you talk to them about drunk people. >> yes, one of the main things is for the door man and bartenders is try to strike up a conversation from the customer and there it helps with trying to figure it out. >> if the abc closed you down or took your license away for over service and then your bartenders would not be making any tips so it is in their interest not to over serve.

>> and yes, on saturdays we are averaging anywhere from four to six people being cut off, i don't know if that is a large amount or a small amount, but doing my numbers over the past two months that is what we are averaging. >> so commissioners. we have had this presentation for over 35, 40 minutes, now. and i want to see which direction we want to take this mainly, and we can have the officer come up. >> that is what i want to do. >> what we are noticing is that there might be and we get reports all the time and every time that we meet from the police department. and they are exactly the reports that you just cited. and commissioner said that it is good to paint a fuller picture and you are not on trial here either, we are not here to shut you down per se. we may recondition it, i don't know, that you have presented anything that makes it that alarming for us to do. and i know that broad way is a huge issue that you know that more than one venue is trying

to figure out. so i don't know that we want to do something so drastic to one venue when there are many issues and players on that block. so, commissioners have any thoughts about what we want to and are we trying to condition? it sounds like we want to bring the officer up to just say some words. >> i don't think that when i called for this that i was looking for conditioning tonight. i don't think that that is called for. i think that there is work in progress and i just thought that it would behoof us to know more about what was going on from both sides. >> great. >> why don't you have a seat and thank you for bringing your lap top. >> i just want to say that looking at the conditions, of his permit it seems like he is complied with all of them. >> yeah. >> great, so for the record,

hello. >> hello, i'm steve methias from the central station and i also have ed from the alcohol liaison unit and both of us will be answering questions for you tonight. i would say part of what i hope to achieve from here is problem solving. how do we fix this? and that is really, it is not to beat up on a club, and stop, no, what can we do to fix it and so come over with examples of things and things that ben has done that has made the club work better. and so i think that we are going to be talking about pluses and minuses and things that we are using and i would also like your feedback as far as you are from the industry, and there might be things that you have tried with your specific club, that has helped. and >> we are going to be from the industry. >> just these guys. >> and we have experience as far as, you know, going out and doing that sort of thing.

this year, we have had a large number of calls from service at atmosphere, there are calls for drunks and fights and assaults resisting arrest, and attacking officers and attempting to lynch, the prisoners from the police. part of what i see one night we were speaking to bennett and a fight broke out with the patrons and we had to go down and i am wrestling with one of the people that was fighting. that would be one personal experience as far as what i see when i am out there. the other thing is when we get the reports, i go and every monday morning, i look through the reports, and i see if there is anything that club related or alcohol related. are even broad way related. if there was a liquor store serving alcohol to a minor or that sort of thing it is broad way related. and so i take that information, and also, officers coming up and saying, what are you going

to do about this club and that club and i get information from there and when i look at the them the one thing that i specifically do is if i don't know that an incident is specifically tied to a specific club, i am not going to bring it up in front of here. there is enough stuff going on that i don't have to bring other things in. and so i am extremely careful about that. and to me, it is just as important, to point out what a club is doing wrong, as it is to what it is doing right. and i am not going to rehash all of the incidents that we have for the years and if you want to you can look over the tapes i do urge you if you have have any questions whatsoever look at the police reports and often times there are statements as far as what happened, and you can get a very good detail as to what occurred. and one to discuss possible remedies for specific issues to ensure the public safety.

and for the calls for the police and emergency services. and i along with the entertainment staff have met with bennett and i will say that there are no, and there were no instances last weekend and one drunk arrest the week before and so we did see an improvement and you know that is really what we are looking for. and bennett said that he has increased the security detail which i am happy about and he ordered more barricades to assist with the party bus crowds and improved, and he wants to improve the camera and he says that they are ordered and i don't know if they are in, and music and he talked about, and that is something that he controls and it was just interesting, that he has got an expertise in this area and whether, it is, you know, he was discussing the beats per minute as far as the energy level and that sort of thing as the night is winding down, to bring the whole tempo down, and he even said that some songs he

will play and won't play because it has adverse reactions with the crowds, the light control is good and talked about bringing up the lights and one thing that i would like to consider is the lighting at closing time when it actually closed and it is 2:00 a.m. or whatever time it is, and it is time to go. and there is a, it is a crime prevention tool called crime prevention for environmental design and one thing for lighting, two things make people not want to hang out, if it is very, very dark which that cannot happen on broad way, or the other one is if it is very, very bright. and so that might be an area, we would have to be concerned about light pollution for the neighbors up there and something that at the end of the night where it is, you know, almost like a stadium, like that. and not, disturbing the neighbors, but in that area, very, very lit up and it, it really wakes people up like, okay, and it is not real comfortable, but that is buy design and, that might be something to clear people out of the area, and quicker pace.

and consider dialing, and oh,, one of the things is maybe dialing back when the last call is. and if we are having and if the issue as far as over serving which we have had and maybe have the last call a little bit earlier and that way that the people have the time to unwind and that is a decision that he could make to see you know, how it effects his business, but that would also, if people are finishing their drink a little bit quicker, maybe they are going out a little bit quicker, also. and before the real big crowds on broad way hit and so we don't have the terminal velocity, all at the same time, and at closing time. atmosphere, checks the bus and one thing that i, and bennett is a very hands on manager. and we have even had the discussions before, when you know, everyone deserves a vacation, but bennett, this is a couple of years ago, the incidents were happening when he was not there, and he says i know, he committed to being there and that really made a big difference.

and one of the things that we talked about is if he choose to have the party buses, he said that he sends a representative on the bus. and maybe have them, and maybe have him, and going on personally to check the tempo, is this, you know, go on, kind of maybe have a rules or get a feel for who is on the bus, is this a good fit for tonight? because you know things can change if it is a friday verses a saturday, and how packed it is inside of the club, but i think that if bennett did a personal inspection he would be able for see is this going to jive well for tonight. the other thing for as far as the passengers we have been working on the rogue buses, and we would rather have the buses that are registered pull right up in front and have them get right in the club as easy as possible. but the ones that are not registered, we want our traffic enforcement team to deal with those. and so that they have to go completely down the street because those are the ones that are not abiding by the rules

and what the expectations. and when the clubs are able to talk to a bus company and say this is what we are going to accept and this is what we are not going to accept, the buses that agree to that, the expectation and also, what they show, works out pretty well, but the ones that have, you know, they might be three hours away and they have been drinking the whole way up and all of a sudden they unload. and so, sfpd is going to be working to work with the rogue buses as far as siting if appropriate, and we have to make sure if you look up and you see the 40 people they came from somewhere and so, that would be a concern. and because whether it is the club security or the police, if you let 40 people into your club, you know that is probably 40 friends so if there is any disturbance, that is a big ratio. as far as over serving, watch the patrons when entering, that is a big thing, and bennett talked about that. and he was training the staff. and even before you get into,

and it is almost a test before you get in, he likes to have a conversation with them that is fantastic and that is what we are looking for. and so watching the patrons when entering and then also during the night, and next, is bottle service, and i will let lieutenant santos address that. >> and could i just, ask you something before you go away. >> yes. >> all right. >> so do your offices ticket the buses that are rogue or double parked or parked like irregular muni bus stop or someplace that a white zone, do they ticket them? >> there is no parking on broad way. >> i think that the enforcement teams, that is part of your job task. >> okay. and then, i guess that my question is, do these party buses that you guys say are permitted, do they have like phones that the shop owners

have phones that like bennett could have a phone number so that you can call them and say bring the bus they are ready to go? or the person could call and say reer about a block away. and prepare them? is there any cell phone? >> i don't know if there is a cell phone, and that he has with them, and i know that we have worked with some of the complaints as far as the buses go, is i know that at another club there were problems because there was a bus that was very late and so we had the people hanging out for 45 minutes on broad way until 2:45 and bennett spoke about making sure that the bus operators were prompt and picking up. >> and the buses that you authorized, that is authorized on broad way, there is no way to contact the bus when you want, or no way for the bus to contact the venue, and when they are about to arrive, or no way for the venue to contact the bus and say come and get your people? >> i would imagine, that bennett would have a phone

number but you would have to ask him. >> yes or no >> you do, okay, great. >> all right. >> yeah. >> okay. i got more, later. >> >> ladies and gentlemen, members of the commission, president tan, good evening, my name is lieutenant santos, and i over see the san francisco police department alcohol licensing unit. which also works with liaison with the california department of alcoholic beverage control. and i am here just to speak briefly about bottle service and over serving. a couple of weeks ago director king contacted me to ask me about the rules regarding bottle service. and i didn't quite have the answers. so i contacted the source directly.

which was the abc. and what i learned from the abc was that there are no rules and regulations regarding bottle service, it is basically a privilege of the license. what abc did tell me one of the representatives was that they are not very fond of the bottle service because it promotes over indulgence and when you leave a bottle unattended and there is always that potential for over service. i was out at the atmosphere one evening in march and i was actually inside of the premise with the team of aru members doing a inspection and yes i was a witness to and a participant in one of the incidents that occurred and it did start inside and it went outside. and i did have a chance to speak to the person that was taken down by five or six

police officers. and i asked him, where did you start drinking? and he said that he had a few drinks on the way up but most of his drinking was done inside. having been around for a long time, i know when someone is overly intoxicated you have had a lot of drink. and going back to the responsibilities of the establishment on the licensee, and the responsibility falls squarely on the owner. when i looked at all of the reports, and i counted what was one of the common factors in all of this, obviously it is alcohol. so, what could be some of the solutions here? obviously, i met mr. montoya, and he seems like a really good individual and he has a desire for his business to be successful. and so when i look at some of the issues that need to be addressed here and i think that they might be lacking, and that

is obviously, educating his servers and his bartenders as well as himself and so having said that, before i got here, i did some research on the internet and i came up with a neighbor that was written, and produced by dartmouth college and it is responsible service of alcohol. and in looking at it, i saw that had basically, the most simplest of standards, for serving alcohol. and if you look at page 16, they talked about in quotes, partly creating the right atmosphere is encouraging people to behave in a manner that suits your premise and to do so, you must set the standards. and well these standards could be set by mr. montoya obviously but i think that taking steps to educate his employees about serving people alcohol, and

identifying behavior, that obviously demonstrates over indujing, that will allow the police services to be provided to the people truly in need of the police service or emergency service and allow his club to probably flourish without the presence of the police there and the people becoming confident, and walking outside of the premises and be able to endulge in the activity to be a referee to the police to their actions and a couple of recommendations that i have to help mr. montoya, be successful, juan of the things that i think bottle should be left unattended so there is no leeway to over induj and i think that he should have the employees engage