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Toad\'s Place faces fine, liquor permit suspension
(New Haven-WTNH, Nov. 2, 2006 10:06 PM) _
A legendary spot known for its musical acts must clean up its act for allowing underage drinking. Toad\'s place will soon be forced to close its doors for some time.It\'s as much a part of New Haven as Yale University and good pizza, but this summer, folks will have to find a new place to hear good music. Toad\'s will be completely dark for three months, punishment for allowing under-age drinkers inside.
* by News Channel 8\'s Annie Rourke
A surprise concert by the Rolling Stones made headline back in 1989. Anyone who\'s anyone has played at Toad\'s Place. Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, U2 with a promotional picture wearing a Toad\'s t-shirt. But the historic venue on York Street is famous for something else as well, being a hot college hangout.
"It\'s a popular Yale spot, they have Saturday night dance party that\'s targeted towards Yale students and on Wednesday night as well." says Yale Junior Neil Chatani
Brian Phelps recalls a night last November.
"It was a raid, yes, a group of liquor inspectors and police officers came in and surrounded the building and checked all the I.D.\'s."
45 underage kids were drinking inside. Not a shock to those who often come here, a Yale junior says, his friends were caught just last month."Pretty much almost once a week, it\'s like a ritual, where the cops would be outside and bust someone." says Doug Lieblich
The state is taking it one step further, Toad\'s has now been slapped with a $90,000 fine and forced to shut down completely for 90 days.
"It\'s a lot because I have a lot of general overhead built into my costs that I can\'t get rid of during that shut-down period, I have to pay it." says Phelps
And he\'ll have to lay-off 60 staffers. But Phelps says, he\'s taken the hit to heart, firing the company that was working the door and introducing a new policy of using wrist bands for those who\'s I.D.\'s have been properly scanned. He says, though the state may be holding up Toad\'s as a cautionary tale they shouldn\'t have let it happen.
"No, there was a lot of minors in here so it was a fair negotiation." says Phelps
Toad\'s is still open right now and will remain that way until the summer. They\'ll be closed for May, June and July. Toad\'s had acts booked until May and the state allowed them to wait until then. But they will have to pay the $90,000 fine right away.
