General Food, Dining and Nightlife News

[kaiserdiver]

I'm not sure I completely agree. There is a precedent for holding bars and restaurants responsible for drunk driving. I don't know if the same principles would apply to a stabbing, legally, but I think you could argue that the bar had some responsibility if it emerges that the stabbers were being served even after it was clear they were drunk.

So if patrons, (overserved or otherwise) of say Beertown, McCabes, or Abe Erb were Involved in a multiple assault/stabbing, would you be as quick to lay the blame on those establishments or their patrons in general?
With no offence intended this all sounds a little classist to me.

I had in fact never heard of Frankie's Pub until this incident and I highly doubt the owners want their business to be associated with this. And I'm not some elitist who will only frequent the bars of my station. I have been to (the now gone) Marina's, Caper's (arguably the most rundown bar in K-W) and Corner Bar. I was treated well in all of these places and never felt at risk. I have found that the bars catering to university students are far more likely to see violence. And no, I'm not painting all university students with the same brush as I'm sure you're not painting all of Frankie's patrons either.

Of course one stabbing is one too many. But if we're going to argue for the closing down of businesses because a patron(s) of that business commits a violent act near or in that establishment, let's not cherry pick which establishment we direct punitive measures towards.

Finally, I have a number of friends with WRPS, and while I will need to ask them to be certain (I will do so this weekend), I will wager heavily that Frankie's Pub is not one of the bars in town that gives them the most grief.

You're reading too much into what I wrote. A bar ultimately has some responsibility for what its patrons do, particularly if there is a pattern of dangerous or illegal behaviour, but I'm not saying this is the case with Frankie's or any other specific bar. I agree that there's a tendency to crack down on "seedy" bars, even as local golf clubs or steakhouses let too many people drive home after too many drinks. But this is the same city that bought out "the block that rocks" to get rid of it.