Downtown Naperville is not only popular for its numerous restaurants, but also for its nighttime bar scene. Patrons from neighboring suburbs come to Naperville, according to Jim Kuhrt, manager of local restaurant and bar Jimmy’s Grill.
“If you’re not going to Chicago, the first couple of cities you think of [in Illinois] are downtown St. Charles and downtown Naperville,” Kuhrt said. “If you’re from a smaller town [and want] to go to a bigger town, that’s not Chicago, it’s also nice.”
In the past three years, though, Naperville saw an increase in violence at numerous local bars that has affected the city’s nightlife. Several altercations resulted in injuries of patrons, staff members and security guards. A fight in February 2012 left Shaun Wild, a local elementary school teacher, dead.
Many bars throughout the local area, including Jimmy’s Grill, have policies in place to make sure disputes don’t turn into something bigger. In fact, these policies have helped Jimmy’s Grill avoid any serious incidents.
Kuhrt explains that these fights demonstrate how important it is for staff members to know how to handle customer problems that come their way.
“It’s unfortunate that [fights] have to happen to realize that we do these [procedures] for a reason, but it does reinforce why we do certain things so that those [incidents] don’t happen,” Kuhrt said. “It makes the staff more receptive to the actual policies we have to prevent those [incidents].”
According to a bartender at Features Bar and Grill, who requested anonymity but has worked shifts during which higher security has been evident, security guards, or bouncers as they’re called, are always present. On weekends, at the busiest times, this bar can have up to 15 bouncers roaming around the premises.
Jimmy’s Grill also has numerous bouncers on site, and can sometimes have up to eight on a busy night. Kuhrt explains that one of the roles of the bouncers is to refuse service to some.
“If someone looks intoxicated, we do not let them in the bar,” Kuhrt said. “Because if someone does walk into the bar intoxicated, the last bar they leave is where the liability falls.”
At Jimmy’s Grill and other local bars, bartenders are taught to stop serving alcohol to, or “cut-off”, customers if needed. Kuhrt said that bartenders need to monitor the behavior of the customers for signs of intoxication. These signs include slurring of speech, glossy eyes, falling asleep and changes in conduct. He explains that many times customers get upset when they get cut-off not realizing they have had too much to drink.
“A lot of times, it’s the younger crowd, 22 to 25, that don’t know their own limitations and drink to the point where they consume too much,” Kuhrt said. “You have to politely explain to them that they did nothing wrong, they just had too much to drink. I’m not trying to ruin their night, I’m just trying to watch out for them.”
The city of Naperville has also been concerned about the growing number of bar fights, and has responded by increasing the police presence. According to Kuhrt, the police help handle situations so such incidents do not repeat. Kuhrt also explains that Naperville inspectors have been coming into Jimmy’s Grill every weekend to make sure it’s not over capacity.
“Nine times out of ten, when you’re overoccupied you will find yourself having a problem,” Kuhrt said. “That’s where a lot of the problems start: there’s less room, more people bumping into each other, more crowding.”
All these new measures are in place to keep patrons safe.
“The last thing I want is something to happen to one of my guests,” Kuhrt said. “That would be terrible.”
