The State Liquor Authority is seeking to shut down DJ’s on the Hill, a bar on Marshall Street.

DJ’s on the Hill was charged this week with operating illegally after the bar refused to allow entrance to people without a valid college ID, according to Syracuse.com.

It’s illegal to refuse service to people based on a lack of college ID, said SLA spokesperson William Crowley. Such identification is also not a valid means of ensuring patrons are of legal drinking age, he said. 

The SLA is seeking the closure of both DJ’s on The Hill and sister location DJ’s on the Boulevard, Crowley said. The authority is also attempting to permanently revoke the license of DJ’s on the Boulevard. As the license of DJ’s on The Hill hasn’t been revoked, the bar can still serve liquor to patrons.

The SLA suspended the license of DJ’s on the Boulevard, located on Erie Boulevard East, this week. An undercover investigation conducted Nov. 7 found that nearly half of the bar’s patrons were underage, a violation of the bar’s own policy. 

“The State Liquor Authority will not hesitate to take immediate action against bar owners who are flagrantly breaking the law,” said SLA Chairman Vincent Bradley in a statement. 

DJ’s on the Boulevard was charged with 53 violations, 47 of which were related to selling liquor to a minor. The bar was also charged with staffing unlicensed bouncers and failure to keep accurate records.

DJ’s on The Hill was fined $25,000 in January 2017 after a seperate SLA investigation found the bar failed to supervise its patrons, and served to minors and an intoxicated person. At the time of the investigation, the SLA required DJ’s on The Hill to refuse minors at the door. 

Dean Whittles and Michael Ciabotti hold the bars’ licenses. Whittles declined to comment, and said nobody from the bar chain will provide a statement, including Ciabotti.

Asst. copy editor Andrew Crane contributed reporting to this article.

Published on November 14, 2019 at 6:59 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu