The Devil's Den has ceased serving hard alcohol as part of its bar service.
The decision came from Jim Wulforst, director of dining services, who said that profit from hard liquor sales was marginal and liability too high.
Wulforst referred to a recent incident in Chapel Hill last weekend when three bartenders were charged with selling beer to 18-year-olds.
"I felt that if I wanted to have any integrity, I thought it was important that we don't have the liquor available because then you run the risk of serving people underage... mixed drinks are a much more volatile situation [than beer or wine]," he explained.
A recent advertisement for an event at the sports bar that violated the advertising code mandated by Alcohol Law Enforcement prompted the administrative decision. About three weeks ago, an organization that planned to hold a function at the Den advertised 50 cent tequila shots.
The ALE department-an agency that governs liquor sales-enforces a code that forbids advertising drink prices, happy hours or any mention of the methods by which alcohol is distributed.
Wulforst said these mandates are explicitly outlined to all organizations that want to use the Den for events, and that this particular organization violated those regulations.
"I decided that I don't want to be in the business of condoning alcohol consumption in that kind of format," he said. "I have a responsibility to take my job seriously, and I don't think [hard alcohol] is what we should be supporting."
The facility will continue to serve both beer and wine from the bar. Hard liquor will be available to individuals or organizations who rent the eatery for an event closed to the general public.
Officials at the eatery did not question the decision, explaining that the liquor was an added option for events, but not necessarily essential to the atmosphere at the Den.
Manager Steve Howard was not concerned that the absence of hard alcohol would affect the eatery's business, although he wouldn't have minded continuing to serve it. "I had no problem serving the hard alcohol," said Howard, who has been manager for two months. "I'm assuming it's just a precautionary step."
Student employees who worked at the bar also did not seem to have many reservations about serving hard alcohol. They did not question the decision either, primarily because the decision relieves some of the burden that had been on their shoulders to monitor every student purchasing alcohol.
"I don't condone passing off alcohol from one person to someone underage because then it ultimately falls back down on me," said engineering junior Ed Stahl, a bartender at the Den. "I was concerned about underage drinking, but it doesn't matter to me about whether it's hard alcohol or beer. Beer, alcohol, there's no difference. I'm just trying to abide by my oath."
When the facility sought the liquor license toward the end of last year, its officials had only intended to use it for catered events like those for the Medical Center or academic departments. But eventually the service expanded and became available to students as well.
"My focus was to spend money creating exciting event space," Wulforst explained. "The liquor license came later when we had several requests from the hospital and outside parties. But the Devil's Den was built solely as a food operation to be located centrally on campus. It was to provide a great place to get dinner."
In fact, Wulforst added, beer and wine sales bring in only about 20 percent of the Den's total revenue.
Liability involved with serving any kind of alcohol, including beer from kegs, has been a key concern among administrators, recently prompting them to discuss the reality of continuing beer from kegs. Officials plan to hold an open forum at the Devil's Den to discuss distribution issues and bartenders' liability associated with kegs at campus parties.
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