Taps and Dolls' liquor license revoked by state, Tiki Bob's allowed 1-year renewal
The Indiana State Alcohol and Tobacco Commission voted unanimously to revoke the liquor license for downtown bar Taps and Dolls at a meeting Tuesday, upholding the recommendation of the Marion County Alcoholic Beverage Board last week.
The commission also unanimously voted to allow Tiki Bob's Cantina, located next door to Taps and Dolls, a one-year renewal of its license, also upholding the county board's recommendation.
IndyStar has reached out to representatives of both bars for comment.
More: County recommends denial of Taps and Dolls' liquor license, state will make final decision
Marjorie Maginn, commissioner at the Indiana State commission, called the 15-page excise violation on Taps and Dolls, "one of the longest that I've seen."
"The business itself certainly looks like it's become a public nuisance," Maginn said.
In the county's hourslong hearing on March 8, IMPD officers and city officials argued against allowing Taps and Dolls to stay open. In 2021 alone, there were over 166 police runs to Taps and Dolls, a police captain told the county board, and in October, a 17-year-old girl was stabbed inside the bar.
At the county hearing, Taps and Dolls owner Ryan Greb said the bar's clientele are the problem, not the establishment itself.
"It's the people that we are catering to that come into the downtown areas," Greb said previously. "We are trying to do everything we can to keep those people out, but it's impossible to do 100%."
Jim Payne, vice chair of the state commission, said that the number of incidents that occurred at Taps and Dolls, as well as the fact that the problems had been happening for several years, were grounds for revoking the liquor license.
"It just strikes me that they have continued to operate in the same manner for four years, from 2018 to 2021, and have not improved," Jim Payne, vice chair, said, referring to the exhibit of incidents provided by IMPD at last week's hearing.
IMPD officials also argued against allowing Tiki Bob's to remain open last week at the county hearing, saying that the bar frequently over-serves patrons and contributes to an unsafe environment downtown.
Tiki Bob's, though given a one-year extension, will have to re-appear in front of the county board in September. Board members said this will serve as a check-in to see that the owners are implementing additional safety and security precautions.
In the hearing last week, the bar's co-owners, Jason Jenkins and Jason Stellema, will commit to additional staff training, investing in an electronic ID scanner and increased security and cameras on the premises.
"I hope that the permittee does follow through, and readily put these commitments that they've made at the local board under oath into practice at the facility," Maginn said.
Contact IndyStar trending reporter Claire Rafford at crafford@gannett.com or on Twitter @clairerafford.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Downtown Indy bar Taps and Dolls loses liquor license at state meeting
