A downtown nightclub has been cited for violations by the stateβs liquor agency 12 times in the two years it has been open, records show.
Most recently, Hi Fi Kitchen and Cocktails, 345 E. Congress St., was fined $1,500 in February by the Arizona Department of Liquor for βrepeated acts of violence,β according to a department database.
This is Hi Fiβs third violation for repeated acts of violence since it opened, which the liquor department defines as two or more incidents in a seven-day period or three within 30 days, the database shows.
Six of the barβs violations are related to safety issues, including failure to protect the patrons and allowing a disorderly customer to remain on the premises.
The barβs manager attributed the number of violations to a corporate policy that requires the bar to report any act of violence to authorities.
However, Hi Fi was cited in November for failure to report an act of violence.
Under state law, bar owners are required to notify police or the liquor department within seven days of any incident in which someone is injured on or near the premises.
The department of liquor investigated 13 separate reports of fights or disorderly customers between May 2014 and April 2015, according to documents obtained through a public record request.
Investigative reports from 2014 say the bar βhas been having problems since it opened,β and that complaints have come from both the Tucson Police Department and witnesses.
In several of the incidents, the reports note that the nightclub didnβt report fights where customers were injured to law enforcement or the department of liquor.
When the bar first opened, there were some issues with fights, but most of the altercations didnβt take place in the building, said general manager C.J. Urban.
βWe were getting blamed for things happening on our block,β he said. βWe were definitely being targeted when we first opened.β
Urban said that some of the initial complaints filed with the liquor department may have been fabricated by people who were unhappy that a Scottsdale bar was moving to Tucson.
βAny act of violence that takes place here, we report it to the board,β he said, explaining that corporate policy is to fill out an incident report and submit it to the police or liquor department. A member of a merchantsβ council, he said that Tucson police have told downtown businesses to call to report any problems.
βWe have the strictest dress code in Tucson, because we want to attract an elevated clientele,β Urban said. βWe also donβt do cheap drinks. We donβt want people who just want to get wasted.β
Urban, who took over as general manager in February 2015, has worked at Hi Fi since it opened. He previously tended bar at nearby OβMalleys.
He said many other bars in the downtown-North Fourth Avenue area donβt report all acts of violence.
βItβs amazing that some places donβt get cited (by the department of liquor,)β he said. βIf some of these places reported every act of violence, they wouldnβt be open.β
Urban said that after the most recent violation, he attended a hearing with the department of liquor, and all of the previous violations had been dropped.
Lee Hill, a department of liquor spokeswoman, said the violations were not dropped, although the bar wasnβt sanctioned for each one.
βWhen the ... outcome for an actionable violation is a βwarningβ or βdismissedβ, the violation doesnβt count against the licensee,β she said.
On top of the $1,500 fine, Hi Fi was required to submit a comprehensive security plan to the board of liquor and submit proof that all employees had attended liquor law training, records show.
Tucson police records show that since April 2014 the department has responded to 230 calls for service at Hi Fiβs address, 87 of those calls resulting in an investigation. Itβs not clear from the records what the calls were related to, but Urban said that an average of two calls a week isnβt that many.
In addition, many of the calls could be from bar staff, calling to report incidents taking place nearby, but not inside of Hi Fi, he said.
The property also shares an address with three retail spots and student housing above, but each separate business has its own suite number.
βI would not say that our officers have a notable higher rate of police contact at Hi Fi than other bars in the area,β said Lt. Corey Dogget, of Tucson Police Departmentβs downtown district. βWe have a good working relationship with (the) Hi Fi staff, in addition to many other bars in the downtown area.β
Hi-Fiβs remaining six liquor department violations include hosting drinking contests, and failure to check the ID of, and selling alcohol to, an underage buyer.
Nearby bars have also been cited by the liquor department, but not at the frequency that Hi Fi has. In addition, citations for violence-related acts were fewer by comparison.
- Playground Bar and Lounge, 278 E. Congress, has been cited 11 times since 2000. The only citation involving violence was in 2014 for failure to protect its patrons.
- Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress, has been cited seven times since 1997, but none of the violations involved violence.
- Zen Rock, 121 E. Congress, was cited in 2012 for repeated acts of violence. Itβs had eight violations since, but none of the others were violence-related.
