WCTL Insider - Tavern League of Wisconsin

WCTL Insider
Hello again everyone,
Vol. 44, Issue 2
February 2014
Mark Your Calendar:
Well, if I ever get done shoveling and burning fuel oil I might be able to get
Wed., Feb. 12th
back to work sometime this winter. But I know we're all in the same boat so
WCTL Membership Mtg
nobody wants to hear my grumbling. Congratulations to our executive board
as they all ran unopposed and will be taking over their positions after our elec- Village Supper Club
tion next month at the installation banquet. Please try to attend the meeting 1725 South Shore Dr., Delavan
as we will be voting for director positions and discussing several items of inter***Lunch @ 1:45
est that have arisen in recent weeks, along with plans to help your business in
Meeting to follow
the future. I have truly enjoyed my term as your president and look forward
Convention Comm. Mtg @ Noon
to many more successes for our organization moving forward.
WCTL Board Meeting, 1:00pm
Trevor Wheeler, Walworth County Tavern League President
WCTL BOARD NOMINATIONS TO RE-OPEN AT UPCOMING MEETING
Nominations were re-opened on Wed., Jan 8th at Farmer's Inn. There were no
further nominations for our Executive Board, so the officers for the 2014 year
will be:
President - Dave Hills, Hawks View, Lake Geneva
Vice President - Patti Marsicano, Rep. Duck Inn, Delavan
Sec./Treas. - Chris Marsicano, Village Supper Club, Delavan
Sgt-at-Arms - Brent Kendall, Pirates Cove, Delavan
Our current President, Trevor Wheeler will take a Director's position automatically for
one year, leaving only eight directors positions open to be voted on.
Directors - (Eight positions open)
Betty Barr, Sports Page Barr, Elkhorn
Steve Fairchild, Stevo's Park Place, Fontana
LaVonne Horgan, Delavan Lanes, Delavan
Redd Messerschmidt, Reddroom, Elkhorn
Julia "Jules" Moore, Rep. Evergreen Golf Course
Renee Peterson, Rep. JK Sweeney's, Walworth
Dennis "Salvo" Salverson, Salvo's Coyote Grill, Whitewater
Heidi Siemers, Siemers Cruise In, Walworth
Tim Swatek, Rep. Next Door Pub, Lake Geneva
Sharon Yanz, Rep. Walworth-Lakeland Elks Lodge, Delavan
As with any organization, the board is more invested in the organization in the way of
time and money. The board is expected to sell the calendars and raffle tickets, help
promote membership, and with the TLW conference coming up, they will be taking on
additional responsibilities.
The election will take place at the WCTL meeting on Wed. Feb. 12th at the Village
Supper Club. The new officers and board will be installed at our banquet on Monday,
February 24th, at Lake Lawn Resort.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:
Lauderdale Landing
W5625 Westshore Dr, Elkhorn, WI 53121
Phone:(262) 495-8727
** Upcoming Meetings **
Wed., March 12th
Wheelers
410 S. 7th St., Delavan
Wed., April 16th
Pirates Cove
Delavan
·
Tavern League Of Wisconsin
Spring Conference &
Trade Show
April 7-10
Radisson Hotel & La Crosse Center
200 Harborview Plaza
La Crosse, WI
(608) 784-6680 for reservations
Go to tlw.org for more info
TLW Districts 1 & 9 Caucus
Monday, March 24
Turner Hall
1217 17th Ave., Monroe
Doors open @ 11am
Lunch @ 12:30, mtg to follow
Spring Raffle Drawing @ 2pm
ATTENDANCE DRAWING at
$125 FOR FEB. MEETING
Ye Olde Hotel was drawn,
but not at the Jan. meeting
You must be in
attendance to win!
ALCOHOL &TOBACCO ENFORCEMENT (ATE)
MAKING ROUNDS IN WALWORTH COUNTY;
Chris received a phone call last
week from a member who told
him that the ATE was at his bar
with a Sheriff’s Deputy, and they
had done a compliance check.
He described the visit to Chris
and within a few minutes, he
knew this was not an isolated
incident. Phone calls were
made to various entities to find
out what was going on, and an
email was sent out to our members (whose emails we have).
The end result was that the ATE
was doing compliance checks
throughout Walworth County’s
alcohol licensed establishments.
The division of Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement (ATE) was
created as an arm of the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention of federal
offenses involving the unlawful
use, manufacture and possession of firearms and explosives;
acts of arson and bombings;
and taxation and other issues
involving alcohol and tobacco
products. Many of ATE's activities are carried out in conjunction with task forces made up of
state and local law enforcement
officers.
There may be some other things
they are looking for that we are
unaware of. They have access
to all rooms connected to your
sales area and anywhere alcohol is kept.
After several phone calls, Chris
was told that the Department of
Revenue has a limited number
of agents, so they pick specific
areas within the state to do compliance checks and it was Walworth County’s turn. The
agent/s will show up with a deputy from the Walworth County
Sheriff’s Office. If they haven’t
been to visit you yet, they will.
If you are not in compliance, you
will receive a citation. The
agents are not mean, nasty
people, they are just doing their
job. We have heard that they
are very nice, BUT they are doing their job, please remember
to be respectful and comply with
their requests. Illegal bottles will
be confiscated and violations
will be written.
There is a copy of Wisconsin
Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco
Laws for Retailers online or it
can be emailed to you by sending an email to Patti at
[email protected].
video machine scammers, under
age stings, etc.. Please pick up
the phone and call someone
and allow us to share critical information with our other members. It is in the best interest of
our league to be informed about
things that are happening to our
members. We could have been
discussing this issue three
weeks ago, and have had the
Wisconsin Alcohol Beverage
and Tobacco Laws for Retailers
in hard copy to our members to
use as a “refresher”.
Please get your email address
to and cell phone to Patti (email
to [email protected] or
text to your name and cell number to (262) 745-9473) so if any
timely information need to be
disseminated, it can be done in
a more efficient manner. Any
additional information or alerts
are posted on the Walworth
Do we have your email –
County Tavern League Faceand/or cell phone number? book page also.
When we discovered last week At the upcoming meeting at the
that the ATE was making
Village Supper Club on Wed.,
rounds, every effort was made
February 12th this will be disto find out what was going on
cussed in depth, along with the
and why. Calls were made to
County's proposal to change
the TLW office, Walworth
restaurant inspections and the
County Administrative offices,
affect it will have on your busiand the IRS. And email was
ness. We will have a hard copy
sent out to the members who
of the "Wisconsin Beverage Alhave email addresses on file.
cohol Laws for Retailers IncludIt was only a few days ago that ing Laws That Relate to Underwe discovered that this started
age Persons" for all in attenthree weeks ago. When some- dance. This is some pretty imthing happens that affects your portant stuff here and it will imliquor license and your busipact your business.
ness, whether it has to do with
Stay informed, and atthe burglary of your business,
tend some meetings!
Page 3
COUNTY CONSIDERING HIRING ITS OWN HEALTH INSPECTOR
ON YOUR DIME
Walworth County is trying to institute its own health inspections twice a year. This is
something that the State of Wisconsin already does and we already pay for. We cannot afford another fee on top of the ones we already pay. If passed, you will be paying their
wages!
Please take the time to read copy the letter included in this newsletter and sign it, or write
your own! Make extra copies and let your family, employees, patrons and friends sign a
copy.
It is in Your best interest that we get as many of these letters to the county board as possible before their hearing on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 1:15 PM at the County Government Complex, downtown Elkhorn (old courthouse). Please attend if you are able to; the
more voices we have in opposition to this plan the better we will be able to fight this.
Please get as many letters signed as you can and mail them directly to The Walworth
County Board of Supervisors, Post Office Box 1001, Elkhorn, WI 53121 or deliver them to
me before the Walworth County Tavern League meeting at Wheelers Bowling Center on
March 12th.
Together we can make ourselves heard, we need to stand and act together NOW. This affects your business and livelihood. Take the time to do this. You can't afford to ignore
this issue. If you have any questions please feel free to call me.
Chris Marsicano
(262)745-4043
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING A COMPLIANCE CHECK
Some of the things that they are checking for include (but are not limited to):






The last two years worth of invoices; these are suppose to be kept on premise, and your bartender should
know where they are.
Making sure that every bottle you have on premise shows up on the invoice. As you know, you are not
supposed to purchase ANY alcohol at the liquor store. They are very thorough in matching invoice to
inventory.
They will hold a light up to your bottles – and it is very easy to spot any inconsistencies with alcohol.
Have you ever asked one of the beer companies to make you a sign to hang up outside? They would have
told you that it is illegal for a tavern to hang a sign with beer/malt beverage advertising outside your establishment. It is okay for Class A license holders – not for Class B.
Give away FREE beer or booze? Buy one get one FREE or FREE beer? You are expected to pay tax on
any of those drinks you “give away”. A two-for-one special is different, because you are paying tax on
the drinks. We are not sure, but they might be checking this.
They will ask or look to see if you are defacing the labels (and/or tax stamp) on your empty bottles. The
same goes for ceramic bottles (Think Jim Beam decanters).
Page 4
TLW’S LEGISLATIVE DAY IS FEBRUARY 18TH
Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., Madison
The Tavern League of Wisconsin's 30th Annual Legislative Day is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 at the Best Western
Inn on the Park in Madison.
The strength of the Tavern League comes
from our Members and our willingness to get
involved in legislative issues. TLW Legislative
Day is one of the biggest in Madison each
year and our continued legislative successes
are no accident.
Your participation and the participation of
other members throughout the state keep our
well deserved reputation as one of the most
powerful lobbying groups in the state intact.
A meeting room has been reserved at the
Capitol so we will meet with Senator Kedzie
and Representatives Nass, August, Loudenbeck, and Craig.
The Walworth County Tavern League will provide transportation to and from Madison.
The bus will return to the Village Supper Club
when riders are ready to return home. The
WCTL will pay for and register members who
are interested in attending. Please let Chris
know if you are planning on going - (262)
745-4043.
10:00 am - Bus leaves Village Supper Club
11:00am - Noon - Registration
Noon - 2:00 pm - General Session
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Members to Capitol
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Reception
This is a great opportunity for you to meet
your legislator face to face! This a perfect
opportunity for you to personally meet your
legislators and discuss issues that effect our
businesses.
WCTL SAFERIDE PROVIDERS
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE TLW
OFFERS WISCONSIN FOOD SAFETY
CERTIFICATION AND THE ALCOHOL
SELLER/SERVER COURSE?
In order to use the SafeRide Program you must be
signed up and have vouchers!
Contact Chris at (262) 745-4043 with SafeRide ques-
Yellow Cab - (262) 378-9177
Service Area: Delavan, Darien, Elkhorn & Walworth
Delavan Taxi - (262) 728-0490
Service area: Delavan & surrounding area
Teitel Transport - (262) 206-7043
Service area: Elkhorn, East Troy, Lyons, Lake Geneva
Lakes Area Taxi - (262) 248-4770
Service area: Lake Geneva & surrounding
Senior Cab - (262) 949-8294
Service Area: Lake Geneva, Pell Lake, Williams Bay, &
Fontana
Brown Cab Service (902) 563-6303
Whitewater only - Limited Hours
DON’T RUN OUT OF VOUCHERS! (No voucher = no SafeRide)
The Learn2Serve Food Manager Training course will prepare managers to pass an ANSI-CFP nationally accredited certification examination. You can take this examination through the Tavern League of Wisconsin by either
visiting the website: www.tlw.org or calling 1-800-4459221. (Initial certification must be taken in person. Recertification can be taken online at the TLW website)
Alcohol Seller/Server (WI)
This course provides you with all the necessary knowledge and techniques you need to be a responsible
server of alcohol. Specifically, you will learn how to protect yourself and your establishment from liability, how
alcohol affects your customers; how to recognize the
effects of alcohol on your customers, how to prevent
customers from becoming intoxicated, how to intervene
when you need to cut someone off, how to prevent and
deal with disturbances, and how to accurately check IDs
and recognize minors.
AND YOU CAN TAKE IT ONLINE AT WWW.TLW.ORG!
February 2, 2014
Walworth County Board of Supervisors
PO Box 1001
Elkhorn, WI 53115
Dear Walworth County Board of Supervisors,
I have recently read in the newspapers that Walworth County is seeking to hire its own inspectors
and take over the health inspections from the State of Wisconsin. I would like to express my opposition to this plan.
Walworth County businesses can NOT afford another licensing fee imposed by the county on top of
those that are already being paid locally and to the State of Wisconsin. This will increase the cost of
doing business in a fiscally depressed economy.
The State of Wisconsin has been doing a great job of inspecting local businesses over the years and
I do not see the need for the County to duplicate their services. With the state of the economy, another fee on top of what businesses already pay is something that cannot be afforded. It may not
seem like a lot to you, but many businesses are struggling under the weight of countless fees and
regulations already on the books. One that duplicates what is already in place is not needed or affordable to many businesses.
The County also does not need to unnecessarily add to its burden by expanding a department, hiring more people and increasing a budget that is already strained. It has been stated that this program will be financed through the fees passed onto the businesses; again, I repeat that businesses CANNOT afford this.
And what happens when the fees no longer cover the cost of the program? Do you increase the fees
to an already overburdened business community or pass it on to the taxpayer who is often one and
the same person?
In closing, it would seem to me that this is a solution in search of a problem. Walworth County has
not suffered any outbreaks of illness or death, the State is doing its job.
Walworth County has many other problems that it needs to address and concentrate on and places
where tax dollars can be better spent.
Thank You for consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
A Walworth County Taxpayer/Business owner.
Make a night of it!
Lake Lawn Resort is offering
the following rates:
King - $79 (+$12 resort fee and tax)
& 50/50 Raffles!
Silent Auction
Salad, choice of entrée, coffee, dessert, three premium drink tickets and entertainment
by the fantastic Mike Stone Trio. The dinner-dance will be held in the Geneva Club
(Formerly known as the King's Pub), which features a beautiful stone fireplace and bar)
$45 per person includes:
Please join the Walworth County Tavern League as we hold our annual party to
install our new officers and enjoy the company of our fellow tavern owners and
purveyors. This is a great opportunity to bring your key employees, best patrons
and indispensible family members and treat them to a great night out!
Cocktail Hour & Entertainment - 6:00pm
Dinner - 7:00pm
Installation and Entertainment - 8:30pm
2400 E. Geneva St. (Hwy 50), Delavan
Lake Lawn Resort
Monday, February 24
Entertainment by:
Please send this form indicating attendees names &
dinner choices along with payment ($45 per person)
made out to WCTL to: WCTL, c/o Chris Marsicano,
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Name of Attendees & Entrée Choice:
Contact person
& phone number:____________________
Business name:_____________________
Seared Italian Bistro Steak- w/bell peppers, onions and
red wine sauce. Rosemary roasted potatoes and Chef's
seasonal fresh vegetable.
Roasted Boston Cod- w/fresh vegetable ragout and
basil oil.
Apple Jack Chicken w/Madeira Wine Sauce- Stuffed
with Granny Smith Apple Bread Dressing wrapped with
bacon. Garlic homespun potatoes & Chef's seasonal
fresh vegetable.
Steak and Stuffed Shrimp - Grilled Bistro Steak paired
with two seafood stuffed shrimp; peppercorn beef sauce
& spiced lobster sauce. Garlic homespun potatoes &
Chef's seasonal fresh vegetable.
Dinner Selections:
Village Supper Club
Delavan
Lunch @ 1:45
Meeting to follow
UPCOMING MEETING - 2/12
C/O Patti Marsicano
221 Inlet Shore Dr.
Delavan, W I 53115
[email protected]
Walworth County
Tavern League
WCTL OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
President—Trevor Wheeler, 262-203-1051
Wheeler’s Bowling Center, Delavan
Vice President—Patti Marsicano, 262-745-9473
Rep. Duck Inn, Delavan
Sec/Treas.—Chris Marsicano, 262-745-4043
Village Supper Club, Delavan
Sgt-at-Arms—Redd Messerschmidt, 262-749-0876
ReddRoom, Elkhorn
Directors:
Dave Hills—Hawks View Golf Club, Lake Geneva
Brent Kendall—Pirate’s Cove, Delavan
Renee Peterson—Rep. Sweeney's, Walworth
Dennis ‘Salvo’ Salverson—Salvo’s Coyote Grill, Whitewater
Heidi Siemers—Siemers Cruise In, Walworth
Julia "Jules" Moore - Evergreen Golf Club, Elkhorn
Mike York - Rep. The Brickhouse, Delavan
Sharon Yanz - Elks Lodge, Delavan
Lavonne Horgan - Delavan Lanes, Delavan
Get your SafeRide vouchers at the upcoming meeting or by
making arrangements with Chris by calling at: (262) 745-4043
Tavern League of Wisconsin Office
2817 Fish Hatchery Road
Fitchburg, WI 53713
(608) 270-8591
www.tlw.org
Executive Director - Pete Madland
TLW Representatives:
Tavern League of Wisconsin President:
Terry Harvath
The Wishing Well, Appleton
Senior Vice President:
Chris Marsicano
The Village Supper Club, Delavan
Southern Zone Vice Presidents:
Dan Taivalkoski (2yr)
Joey's on 6th, Racine
Jim Pickett (1yr)
Alpine Inn, LaCrosse
1st District Directors (2yr):
Dennis "Salvo" Salverson
Salvo's Coyote Grill, Whitewater
Rich Karrasch
Main Street Tap, Twin Lakes
1st District Directors(1yr):
Lou Larson
Peg & Lou's Bar & Grill, Racine