Both The Keg of Evanston and the 1800 Club are opening their doors to customers younger than 21 every Monday and Thursday.
Both bars started implementing their new policies Thursday night. The Keg, 810 Grove St., is letting in anyone 18 and older, and the 1800 Club, 1800 Sherman Ave., is admitting those who are 19 and older. Both bars give out bracelets to patrons who can legally drink as a way to signal to bartenders.
“Our liquor license has always allowed for us to do this,” said Loren Ratner, manager of the 1800 Club. “We thought now was a good time to try something different.”
So far this fall, four fake ID busts have resulted in several Northwestern students receiving citations at the two businesses. Ratner would not comment on whether the change in policy at the 1800 Club was due to the two police stings which occurred at the bar.
“We really are just looking to get more people to come in,” he said.
Tom Migon, the Keg’s owner, declined to comment on the reason for his bar’s change in policy.
Weinberg freshman Melissa Zlotnick was admitted to the Keg on Thursday night under the new rules.
“I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “(Much) of Northwestern is under 21, so it makes sense to open the bars to us.”
The Keg has been “pretty dead” most of this year, Medill senior Randy Scott said.
“I went a couple of weeks ago, and it was just depressing,” Scott said. “There was no one there. It was just me and a couple of townies.”
Scott attributed the drop in attendance to the recent rise in fake ID citations. After three busts in September, Cmdr. Michael Perry of Evanston Police Department warned that those caught with fake IDs could be arrested and charged with a felony.
“I don’t want to say (the Keg) depended on underage business,” Scott said, “but no one wants to drink at a place where they know they’re going to be hassled by the police.”
Scott said the change in required age is a positive step for the NU social scene.
“I think it’s long overdue,” he said. “We’re one of the last Big Ten schools to have this policy at our bars. The NU bar scene is so dependent on going to Chicago. The more we can keep people in Evanston, the more fun we are going to have.”
So far other places have not mimicked the trend. Representatives from Tommy Nevin’s Pub, 1450 Sherman; Bar Louie, 1520 Sherman; and Prairie Moon, 1502 Sherman, said they have no plans to change their bars’ required ages.
Jamie Evans, a bartender at Nevin’s, said his bar is doing fine catering to only the 21-and-older crowd. He said he thinks that the 1800 Club and the Keg tend to be more student bars.
