A bar in Southington plagued with fights and other disturbances, including a double stabbing that injured two bouncers earlier this year, will be permanently closing its doors on Wednesday.
The announcement was made Monday on the 75 Center bar and grill’s Facebook page, where an accompanying video showed a photo montage of employees.
“To our loyal and dear customers,” the bar wrote. “Thank you for the years of memories, friendships and celebrations along the way.”
The statement from the bar did not cite a specific reason for closing, only attributing it to “unfortunate circumstances.”
Phone calls to 75 Center on Tuesday were not answered.
The bar’s statement continued, “The staff invites all of you to come down, have a drink, share some laughs and as always have a great time! We will be doing a toast at midnight to send it off right! Thank you again and we cannot wait to see all of you.”
The announcement comes after 75 Center’s liquor license was suspended days after a fight broke out on March 23 inside the bar and spilled spilled out onto Center Street, leading to a Wallingford woman allegedly stabbing two bouncers with a “wand shank” she had on her keychain, according to the Southington Police Department.
Police: Woman stabs bouncers with shank during fight at Southington bar
According to police, bar staff intervened in an argument involving 28-year-old Adrian Montes and 32-year-old Stuart Chase, both from Massachusetts, before things escalated and bouncers tried to escort them to the door. Police allege that Chase punched a bouncer in the face, starting a fight.
During the fight, Heidi Montes, Adrian Montes’ sister, took out a wand shank and pepper spray that were on her keychain and threatened to stab the bouncers, according to police.
Police allege she sprayed pepper spray at a bouncer before stabbing him in the left side of his face. She then stabbed a second bouncer multiple times in the head and neck, according to police.
A total of three bouncers suffered injuries during the attack, including two who were taken to the hospital. Heidi Montes, Adrian Montes and Chase were all taken into custody at the scene and charged.
Following the double stabbing, Southington Police Chief John Daly wrote a letter dated March 25 to the state’s Liquor Control Division. In it, he said he conducted an in-house query and found that police had received nine calls for service at 75 Center over the past year.
CT bar has liquor license suspended after knife assault that injured three people
Daly wrote that the calls reported things like “patrons overdosing on drugs inside the establishment, physical altercations that started inside the establishment and spill out onto the sidewalk in front of the establishment, intoxicated patrons passing out inside the establishment and needing medical attention, two calls (involving patrons) … leaving the establishment and then pulled firearms out and pointed them at people in front of the establishment, (and) patrons with firearms inside the establishment.”
The Department of Consumer Protection, which at the time issued an indefinite suspension of 75 Center’s liquor license, also reported finding three additional complaints predating Daly’s query. Those incidents reportedly occurred between October and December 2022 and involved reports of a disturbance in the bar involving intoxicated guests, a woman who alleges a patron threw a bottle at her after the two accidentally bumped and an incident in which two people said they were “jumped” in the bar and across the street, according to the department.
The bar announced via social media that it was reopening in April with new policies aimed at making 75 Center safer. These included a “re-trained security staff” who would search guests and their bags and use a metal detector wand prior to entry to ensure everyone was “weapon free.” The bar also reported that it would be adding more surveillance camera views and turning down any customers who arrived appearing intoxicated.
A spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection said in April that 75 Center reopened after “entering into a safety plan that was approved by DCP Liquor Control with significant input from the town.”
