Tempe Tavern is closing its doors for good, a local bar and restaurant tied to accusations that it facilitated underage drinking and was connected to multiple car crashes.
Arizona's Family reported Tuesday night the bar was closing after seeing a Craigslist advertisement published on Monday with an address and photos matching Tempe Tavern.
The advertisement contained details of an auction scheduled for Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the bar. The post features furniture and kitchen appliances — including Corona signs, cash registers, stools and commercial dishwashers — indicating a goal of liquidating the bar's property.
The closure marks the end of a history of run-ins with the Tempe Police Department and questions about whether the bar would be able to keep its liquor license.
Law enforcement action against Tempe Tavern
Tempe PD arrested and cited 420 underage customers for providing fake IDs or underage drinking at Tempe Tavern over the past two years — just under 80% of the total 530 arrests for these charges citywide, a city of Tempe spokesperson said in a written statement.
"Community members called Tempe Police multiple times with reports of significant underage drinking at the establishment," the spokesperson stated.
The Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control recommended revoking Tempe Tavern's liquor license in an investigative report that was released in March.
As of Wednesday, the Tempe Tavern liquor license is still active on the DLLC database.
The 300-page report suggested closure of the bar after it filed a lawsuit against the city of Tempe. The city spokesperson said officials received a $9 million notice of claim from Tempe Tavern on Feb. 25.
READ MORE: Report suggests closure of Tempe Tavern amid bar's lawsuit against city
The bar claimed Tempe PD selectively enforced the rules against Tempe Tavern. The city denies those claims, the spokesperson said.
The report documented several years' worth of investigations into Tempe Tavern, including two major law enforcement raids conducted last year at the bar and a possible connection to a fatal crash.
The DLLC alleged Tempe Tavern was directly linked to a fatal hit-and-run. According to Tempe PD, the driver in the case was a 19-year-old ASU student who was at Tempe Tavern before the crash occurred.
The DLLC's report concluded that the bar was a "threat to public welfare."
Last Wednesday, another crash occurred that was connected with the bar, according to court records reported by Arizona's Family.
Arizona's Family reported these records showed a Tempe Tavern patron crashed his car in Mesa after telling investigators he had three beers at the bar.
An 82-year-old woman was killed and two family members were hospitalized.
According to a press release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, 21-year-old Zachary Penrod crashed into two vehicles parked on the shoulder of the U.S. Route 60 freeway while the driver and passengers were trying to change a flat tire.
Local impact as doors close
Last Wednesday, Steven Gomez recounted being at the bar the night prior for Taco Tuesday when a bartender told him, "These are probably going to be your last tacos."
Gomez said the bartender told him the bar would be closing at the end of the week. He said he was shocked and would miss Tempe Tavern.
"I'm just sad because this was kind of my spot, and it was going to be for the foreseeable future," Gomez said.
Richard Clark, a bartender at another establishment on Mill Avenue, said he is sad to see the bar go and is also concerned for the workers who will lose their jobs.
"I know it's probably hard for them, sad for them and it might be a shock," Clark said. "It's kind of a shock for me, I didn't see this coming."
Edited by Andi Ruiz, Carsten Oyer, Senna James and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at kberry13@asu.edu.
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Kylia Berry is a Politics Reporter at The State Press. She has previously worked at The Volunteer Channel, a student-led broadcasting station, and The Daily Beacon, a student-led newspaper at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has also held roles as a multimedia journalist intern at WVLT Channel 8 and WBIR Channel 10 in Knoxville. In 2024, she freelanced for USA TODAY as the School of Journalism and Electronic Media partnered with USA TODAY to cover the Paralympics in Paris, France. This is her first semester working with The State Press as she is pursuing her master's in journalism.
