In October of 2010, a young woman was discovered in a storage room of Sips/Paddys in Campustown. She was unconscious, covered in vomit and her pants were down to her knees. The police were able to bring the woman to get medical attention after being alerted to the situation by another patron at the bar.

The managers of Sips/Paddys were unaware of this until Monday. “We are confused at how this happened,” said one manager.

Peter Orazem (an At-Large Representative on the City Council) called these events, “disturbing.” 

This was all part of a larger discussion of whether the Council should allow the bar to renew their 12-month liquor license.

As the official report states, Sips/Paddys has been very cooperative with the Ames police department. They have been proficient in making sure their staff is capable of handling IDs, with over 90% being properly trained (this is impressive when considering the high turnover rate of positions.). They have also done a great job in turning over all fake IDs encountered, over 200 in the last year.

But what troubles the Council, as well as the police, is the number of public intoxication citations given in the establishment, with 8 arrests inside the premise since last September. There is also a tendency to over-serve, with one case currently under investigation. Because of this, the Council granted a 6-month renewal of Sips/Paddys liquor license, while requiring the management to return in a month for a reevaluation of their practices.

These practices include better communication with the police department as well as with their employees. The managers were adamant that they were never informed of the events that took place on that October night, even though they were in the building at the time it unfolded.

One police officer said to the Council, “I find it hard to believe that they [managers of Sips/Paddys] didn’t know what happened.” 

Whatever the case may be, Sips/Paddys will need to make some changes if they want to keep serving the masses.