Grey Goat Pub and Grill general manager Tuan Abdeen is concerned for the health of his business in the face of pressure from the Town of Newmarket.
Patio season has arrived, but the municipality has denied the longtime Main Street bar a patio licence, in the wake of more than a dozen bylaw tickets over the past year due to complaints about noise and disruptions from residential neighbours, Abdeen told NewmarketToday.
While the Grey Goat is appealing the denial, Abdeen said they are not being treated fairly, with the town simultaneously limiting their revenue and requesting they make costly enhancements like installing higher fencing to secure a probational patio licence.
“They want us to make a minimum amount of money and spend more money to resolve the problem,” he said. “We want to make peace with the neighbours as well. But we need to know our rights to be a business.”
Abdeen said there has been some tension between the town's historic bar and the surrounding area in recent years. Abdeen said the town has responded to complaints about patrons from the bar spilling out into surrounding the nearby residential neighbourhood.
Abdeen said he has tried to improve the circumstances, meeting with the town and liquor control board last year and responding to requests for more security and brighter lights. He said he has still received tickets for noise, but since they come by mail, it has not been clear enough when and how the bar is violating the rules.
“We want to stay in the business,” he said, adding he is willing to do “everything possible. We want to work with you.”
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor confirmed that the Grey Goat has received 10 tickets for bylaw infractions resulting in the patio licence denial, and another five tickets issued in the past month. He said many residents have complainted about the business.
“The town has been in ongoing conversation with the business and its representatives to mitigate persistent issues. The town will only reconsider the licence denial if clear and effective steps are taken by the Grey Goat to bring an end to the issues impacting neighbours and the repeated violations of town bylaws,” Taylor said. "If the patio licence is reinstated, it will be on a probationary basis only.”
A concerned resident, who requested to remain anonymous for fear their home could face retribution from Grey Goat patrons, said the bar has been an ongoing issue for years. She said "overly drunk" patrons have spilled out onto Queen Street, fighting and leaving litter and beer bottles on properties. She said her property has faced vandalism and thefts.
“They’re fighting and screaming at each other,” she said. “Before the bar closes, you hear them start going.”
It’s been going for so long, it seems like no one is listening to us,” she added.
But Abdeen said the bar cannot control what patrons do after they leave.
“We can’t exactly follow them and see where they’re going,” he said. “When we see it, we’ll prevent it.”
The concerned resident believes other bars on Main Street do a better job at managing their crowds. She said the Grey Goat could stand to stop serving alcohol sooner to reduce the levels of intoxication. She added that the bar’s music has also been too loud, too late on many occasions.
But the Grey Goat losing its patio licence is not necessarily a comfort to her.
“I’m actually really sad because the Grey Goat is like an icon of Newmarket’s Main Street,” she said. “It shouldn’t come to this … sad the others wouldn’t respect us and wouldn’t respect the rules.”
The Grey Goat needs to work to connect with the community, she said.
“The Goat is an icon of Newmarket history. It’s been there for so long, it just needs to listen,” she said. “Most of us don’t want the Goat to close.”
Trying to get further explanations or help on regaining the patio licence has fallen on deaf ears with the town at this point, Abdeen said. He added that just getting repeated tickets is not going to solve things.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “We want to make a living. We have 15 people working here.”
The loss of the patio licence makes him concerned about paying the bills, he said. He added that the denial runs counter to the town’s efforts to make Main Street a destination.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us to run the business,” he said.
