Lyle’s Pub temporarily shut down Wednesday and Thursday due to an oversight involving its Food License.
According to Dean of Students Travis Greene, Director of Dining Services Dick Williams went to Lyle’s on Tuesday only to discover the food license had expired.
“It expired in January, but we just found out about it now,” Greene said. “The food inspector will be on campus [on Friday,] so it will be up and running on [Friday] night.”
According to Greene, the oversight occurred because the contact person for the license was former Associate Dean of Students Sheree Andrews. After Andrews’ departure last semester, the responsibility of overseeing Lyle’s was passed on to Greene.
“With all of the staffing changes and she not being here, I went through the mail addressed to her and could not find it,” Greene said. “But what I did was change it so that Loosehead RLC and Assistant Director of Residence Life Kim Hinds-Brush is the person in charge as one of the advisers.”
Despite the situation being resolved quickly after Greene drove the license application to Des Moines after hearing the license was expired, Lyle’s was forced to shut down Wednesday and Thursday nights.
“What’s really upsetting is that we had a first-ever karaoke night planned for Wednesday night, it took a couple of weeks for us to coordinate the date,” said Lyle’s Manager Susan Klumpner ’09. “On an average special event night we make $250 in profit, so that is a loss we cannot make back.”
Because of the closure, Lyle’s had to cut many workers’ hours this week.
“I count on working two shifts a week. I do not have any shifts this week,” Klumpner said. “Five employees will not be recording hours this week.”
In addition to the loss on Wednesday and the cut hours, the Pub also lost approximately $100 on Thursday night.
“It’s not even about the money,” Klumpner said. “Students like Thursdays because of the atmosphere.”
Lyle’s will reopen tonight at 8 p.m. and Klumpner encourages students to make their way to the JRC basement.
