The owners of P&G’s have ended their legal battle to retain the liquor license for the business, the loss of which has been a possibility since a raid on March 15 resulted in four bartenders being charged with serving underage patrons and 14 patrons getting tickets for false ID. State authorities suspended the license immediately, but then a county judge put a stay on that suspension in May, allowing for operation of the alcohol side of the business while proceedings unfolded before state liquor commissioners. After litigating the issue, the parties came to an agreement that restores the liquor license and results in most charges being dropped. Bar owners will pay a $25,000 fine, and have agreed to set several voluntary restrictions on the business, as part of the settlement.
According to attorney Joseph O’Connor, who represented the license holders in the proceedings, the vote to reinstate the license occurred on July 18. Once the fine is paid, it will be possible to keep the tavern open until 4 a.m. again— but that’s not going to happen right away, according to O’Connor. As part of the agreement, beer will not be sold by the pitcher, and there will no longer be entertainment provided by bands or DJs. The owners will also be purchasing a “state-of-the-art, very expensive” Intellicheck ID verification system, which is hardwired into DMV computers to confirm identification and age. That’s part of a more robust security plan, which will also include regular meetings with local police to cooperate on issues associated with the business.
Liquor commissioners had alleged, during one hearing, that more than one intoxicated driver pulled over around that time had claimed to have been at P&G’s. O’Connor objected to that as “double hearsay,” an argument that appears to have held sway. The attorney has since noted that many of the other charges also would have been difficult to prove. For example, O’Connor has pointed out that even if 120 underage individuals were on the premises, that is not in itself a liquor violation.
Mike Beck, Jr., who is one of the third generation of the Beck family to operate P&G’s, reported being both relieved and pleased with the outcome. This ends “months of uncertainty” during which owners were challenged to find ways to keep their staff members — a group that ranges from 50 to more than 70, at peak times of year — gainfully employed.
The employment picture will continue to change as this new business model begins to play out. Beck said that all security — including the checking of identification — has been outsourced to a licensed security firm, meaning that bouncers will no longer be on the bar payroll. It’s also not clear what the demand will be, since this popular watering hole won’t have live entertainment any longer. Anticipating that the clientele may end up being older going forward, Beck said that plans are to extend hours gradually, in order to see what the market will bear.
While the emergency suspension order came quickly, Beck said that liquor operations were shut down immediately in order to take a hard look at the internal processes and make improvements. In addition to the security changes, the new ID scanning system was rolled out some months ago. It’s a subscription-based app, for which there is a charge for every ID scan; every single patron’s identification will be checked, Beck said. “We will be very, very strict.” The tavern owner said that the Intellicheck system is far superior to any other scanner used at P&G’s, many of which have been bested by some fake ID.
Nevertheless, this is a college town, and Beck doesn’t count the college crowd out. “I’m sure college students will come out, and we will be happy to have them.”
The goal is to maintain the community feel of the “cornerstone of New Paltz,” where the menu is “more than just bar food,” said Beck. “We still offer soup and salad with dinner, and we will continue that model. People say that ‘P&G’s is back,’ but we never really left. Our core has been here all along, and the support form the community has been unbelievable.”
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