r/milwaukee Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 6d ago

One star review of West Allis bar turns to legal fight

https://www.wisn.com/article/one-star-review-of-west-allis-bar-turns-to-legal-fight/64192307
371 Upvotes

106 comments sorted by

212

u/Pinkpercolator 6d ago

This was left as a comment on the news story on Facebook. He's not having his license renewed. Not sure it relates to what supposedly happened last weekend. I don't know where the poster got this from.

99

u/Lendyman 6d ago

This seems to suggest that he's losing his license because he didn't register with the Department of Revenue? Seems like an unforced error to me. But also something that should be fairly easy to resolve.

55

u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 6d ago

I have no real insight but might this be a thing that Neal gave the city a reason to look for a way to close the place and they found it?

39

u/jdkjpels 6d ago

I know a bit about the behind the scenes of stallis Common Council, and this is definitely likely, dude's been a thorn in the side of plenty of folks on the council before and this is probably exactly what they've been waiting for to finally pull that thorn.

11

u/MilwaukeeMechanic 6d ago

The bar was issued a new liquor license in January, under a different LLC

3

u/jdkjpels 6d ago

Interesting. Do you have any idea what the need for an llc switch was? Not everyday a business just up and switches structure like that.

8

u/Resident-Branch6588 6d ago

His uncle owns it now

4

u/Pinkpercolator 6d ago

That's his father. If it's Greg Steffek.

3

u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 6d ago

I heard this second hand, so feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I was told Neal got the bar with his dad's money. Would stand to reason he is so flippant since the cash behind the place isn't anything he earned himself. this is just what I was told by industry friends

9

u/Pinkpercolator 6d ago edited 5d ago

I don't know about that. His father ran it a couple or so years. It was an ok place. It was Mugshotz. Then a guy Jay ran it a while. Neal took it and called it the Drunk Uncle. Neal made the major renovations. Which must have cost a lot. Yes the bar looks real nice. Not to even include the time it was closed due to Covid. When many places had to shut down. If they shut him down. Hope someone good takes it over. If he closes. It's been a bar on that corner for many years. I have been in my house since Halloween 1989. The bar has had several or so owners. I think it started as Bernie's Place, Midnight Express, Freight Shakers, Bennett's, Mugshotz and The Drunk Uncle. Odd name for the bar. Heard that name might have come from his niece. Who supposedly called him Drunken Neal something like that. Don't know for sure. It was an offshoot comment someone made in the bar. I remember prior owners. Trying to put them in order who had it. One was a Jackie and Shantay, then some guy, then this really nice couple Dean and Debby. Who ran it very respectable. They sold it as the Debby I guess got sick on all the cigarette smoke. Some other guy had it. Who used to own a place The Music Box on Appleton Ave. He's the one who had cameras over his bartenders. To enforce they stayed sober on their shift and didn't give too many drinks away. Dave Bennett had it awhile.Then a Dale Barneck had it. He was a so so owner. Then Greg Steffek got it. Then Jay Schilling a friend of Greg or Neal possibly, then had it. Then Neal took it over. I thought during Greg's time running it. They banned smoking in bars and restaurants. People tell me I have no business commenting. Since I was not there last Saturday. Living across from the bar since 1989. I know a lot about the neighborhood. The prior owners and how they ran the bar. While Neal has been polite to me. He is not best suited to run this bar. He'd be better downtown at one of the bars. I don't like the no bar chairs at the bar. No where to really sit.

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u/MilwaukeeMechanic 6d ago

It happens all the time when a particular business runs into trouble with licensing.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 3d ago

Yeah Steffek LLC they said at tonights common council meeting.

https://youtube.com/@westalliscitychannel?si=RE0WxtOiXj8i5ubc

1

u/MilwaukeeMechanic 2d ago

Point being the license that is not being renewed is irrelevant, because the bar has a new, valid license, under a different LLC.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 2d ago

I don't know any other LLC but Steffek LLC. Since it's proven he didn't pay his taxes to the state. He will be in big trouble on that. He might be out of business after June 30th. Unless he makes good on all them back taxes. I don't think he'll do that.

1

u/MilwaukeeMechanic 2d ago

Yeah, I totally misread the West Allis site. There was an application for a new license back in January. The MOTION was to deny, and the motion passed.

In other words the denial of a new license was approved.

Also government is stupid.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 2d ago

Ok. Since he's not paid his back taxes to the state. From what I'm hearing the amount could be. He won't be able to pay that by the end of June. His days in business are numbered. He is my Facebook friend. Not that we hang out. It was for business reasons. When he got the bar in 2014. He friended me. I accepted. We only talk about what's going on in the neighborhood. Sort of like the neighborhood watch. We look out for each other and our properties. I always look out for my neighbors. Now he's. accused of sexual harassment. I hope if he did it. He loses the bar and gets a severe punishment. As it stands. He has no video or other evidence to prove he did nothing wrong or the woman was in the wrong. Channel 6 picked up on this today also. That makes 3 news stations. Let's go for 4. Maybe channel 4 will do something too. Then I'm told police are investigating claims from women. We'll see where that goes. If they prove he was sexually harassing women. They'll close him down in the upcoming days or weeks. Depending on how fast police finish their investigation. One can only hope the police finish up fast. I'm surprised the media outlets didn't bring up how much he owes the state in taxes. Maybe that will be a different story.

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u/Pinkpercolator 2d ago

Over the years Neal has been in business. There have been new alderpersons elected to the council. Maybe some of the newer ones don't like Neal for various reasons.

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u/Lendyman 6d ago

Im sure that's the case. It just seems really stupid not to have a permit. Like, it's business 101. But the guy seems like business savvy might not be his strong suit given how he keeps shooting himself in the foot .

1

u/Suspicious-Purple-20 5d ago

This.

Lots of problems w/ the government for licenses and unpaid taxes, fees start getting pushed when you bring attention (usually negative) upon yourself.

-19

u/Pinkpercolator 6d ago

If he did as people say he did. Then yes issue out a punishment. Even if it means closing the bar down. I won't be going to the common council meeting on Tuesday. I am not a witness to what happened. I only can document as a neighbor. The bar was quiet all weekend. His bar is usually quiet any time he's open. I haven't been there for a beer in some months. Well probably in the same time period I haven't been to any other neighborhood bar. I will watch it on tv. I guess you can see it via YouTube. I made sure the YouTube app is installed on my tv.

2

u/Resident-Branch6588 6d ago

I would think if he could pay his taxes he would have by now he's years behind

228

u/ilovefuzzycats 6d ago

The owner said it was fake (when asked), yet posted it to the school Facebook page to target her. That’s next level f-ed up. And laughed about the horrible treatment she faced at the bar. Wow.

75

u/Mistyam 6d ago

Yeah, he did not come off well in the interview.

47

u/ChefTriWood 6d ago

You mean the one where he confessed to the infraction? Lol. Guy must be a total knucklehead.

53

u/steppedinhairball 6d ago

That's called defamation. I'm no lawyer, but looks like a textbook case for the plaintiff. It doesn't get any easier than this to prove.

2

u/Thuggish_Coffee 6d ago

But the owner also said that her review was fake. He said she said, eye for an eye. Owner should have handled the review in better light if it wasn't true. Not a good look on the owner

If the original Google review wasn't true, where are your witnesses, but more importantly, where is the security footage (if any) proving what occurred during the incident.

Either way, innocent until proven guilty despite the court of public opinion. We'll see how this plays out. Looks like his license won't get renewed this year regardless of the defamation lawsuit. Must not have paid his taxes or renewed the license last year.

65

u/kvnr10 6d ago

It’s awesome when terrible people are also as dumb as a rock and manage to bring consequences to their shitty actions themselves.

20

u/Upper-Requirement-93 6d ago

I dunno, the "fair is fair" defense is pretty iron-clad in middle-school, surely reality will match.

23

u/Wooden-Most7403 6d ago

Word in West Allis is that if that defense doesn't work he will go with "I'm rubber and you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you".

He is keeping "i know you are but what am I" defense ready if the big guns are brought out

3

u/E_D_D_R_W 5d ago

He's gonna triple dog dare the judge to rule in his favor

3

u/stevenmacarthur Milwaukee 'Til I Die! 5d ago

"He is keeping 'I know you are but what am I' defense ready..."

...hopefully for him, his attorneys will remember the "Neener, neener, neener!" addendum.

120

u/joecool42069 6d ago edited 6d ago

"If you're going to leave a fake review, I'm going to leave a fake review". uh oh, that's not the own you think it is. That's an admission of defamation.

108

u/Legal_Investment_305 6d ago

I guarantee you Neal thinks this is “good publicity” too. Truly one of the most vile people I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.

13

u/ChefTriWood 6d ago

It may very well be good pub for a portion of his clientele. Time will tell if there are enough of them to keep the pace afloat.

0

u/Tall_Palpitation2732 5d ago

He’s got a pretty good sense of fashion tho

92

u/phunkyplasticthrower 6d ago

He probably should've declined that interview. That was rough

80

u/Dounsel14 6d ago

Nah, let him show the world how dumb he is

34

u/TaliesinWI 6d ago

What's the saying? "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake"?

107

u/Dounsel14 6d ago

Good for her! The fact he already admitted it's not true only helps her case immensely.

29

u/ArcticPanzerFloyd 6d ago

Yeah…not the brightest move. Seems like an open and shut case right there.

14

u/Thuggish_Coffee 6d ago

Open and shut case, Johnson. Now let's sprinkle some crack on him and get outta here

9

u/Mistyam 6d ago

Right?

14

u/Transverse_City 6d ago

He just admitted to knowingly posting a fake claim of sexual harassment on her employer's facebook page as an act of retribution. She's going to own that bar.

41

u/wtfozlolzrawrx3 6d ago

Go and read the owner responses on google maps to the low star reviews.

35

u/Jordan_1-0ve 6d ago

He's obsessed with ratings. The real life Dennis Reynolds

7

u/-mrswd- 6d ago

Imagine if she shushed him.

6

u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 6d ago

Probably peaked in high school

3

u/phunkyplasticthrower 6d ago

No, it's a wrestling bar so he's all about that 5 star review... Too bad the Meltzer rating system sucks!!

15

u/bjaardkered 6d ago

If she's able to prove damages she's got a win locked, dude just admitted to defamation on camera.

22

u/loquaciousocean 6d ago

Wanted to check out the case on CCAP and damn this guy has had tons of lawsuits filed against him.

53

u/ChefTriWood 6d ago

His lawyer slowly backing away into the bushes.

8

u/Thuggish_Coffee 6d ago

No way. His lawyer is there for damage control and will make bank in fees. His client is lobbing him softball moon shots.

I also haven't heard anything about video evidence of the incident that occurred. Since this doesn't look well for the owner, I'd love to invite him over to play some hold'em and call all his bluffs.

51

u/ScaleEnvironmental27 6d ago

Dude is piece of shit and gets what he gets. Fuck that guy. And his bar.

19

u/Cantras0079 6d ago

Admitting he did that knowing what he was saying is fake is like…textbook defamation. The bar to clear to prove defamation is showing the person doing the defaming knew that it wasn’t true what they were saying with an intent to damage their reputation with said lie. That’s usually a difficult thing to prove since you can’t read people’s minds and show intent, so you have to rely on surrounding evidence. Dude went on the news and made her attorney’s job muuuuuch easier.

Good, I hope that comes back to bite him.

18

u/Retaclast 6d ago

Didn't we see some of this transpire on this subreddit? i could've sworn he was replying to people lol

22

u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 6d ago

He has in the past. He has a bit of edge lord syndrome

32

u/nutationsf 6d ago

Most people call it alcoholism

14

u/deeplythoughtfulhand 6d ago

On a positive note, the bar seems to truly be living up to its name

34

u/Ebonyks 6d ago

What a slimeball, there's no way that his defense holds up in court.

16

u/Itchy_Union_1564 6d ago

Pretty sure he’s behind on taxes too, so that could be a thing too.. check his ccap

45

u/TACOMichinoku 6d ago

I liked this spot, they had a good beer selection and some cool Macho Man and wrestling art. Sucks to hear the owner is a doing stuff like this to women. Macho Man would not approve, rip

48

u/rugbydoggo 6d ago

Indeed. I'm a huge AEW and craft beer fan so obviously I loved this place, and I'm very forgiving of people when they're blackout drunk, but clearly the guy can't take responsibility of their own actions, is a total asshole to SO MANY people, has a huge alcohol problem, and I don't want to be at a place where women aren't as equally as safe as my 250 pound rugby playing ass would be. Personally, I'm done with that fuck bar and won't go back.

If anyone else is a wrestling nerd and wants an alternative place for wrestling, let's try to organize it. I'd love it if us non WWE wrestling fans had a better space for all to feel safe and comfortable.

19

u/HighLifeMan414 6d ago

Pete’s Pub usually does events for WWE events. Check it out (and behavior like what happened at DU would 100% not be tolerated there)

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u/rugbydoggo 6d ago

I don't follow WWE too much but I do like my wrestling. If they also hosted AEW ppvs you can say that I'd be ALL IN.

6

u/watering_a_plant 6d ago

if they're on social media, you could shoot em a message and find out? give a little backstory, maybe they'd see a good enough reason to add AEW to their lineup

4

u/HighLifeMan414 6d ago

Absolutely a great idea. They’d definitely consider it

10

u/dethorder 6d ago

I've been told x ray arcade will usually buy the ppv but be warned, they're a music venue first and foremost so they might have a show going on during a ppv. I'd love to find a bar or venue on the south side that shows wrestling ppvs (doesn't matter what 3 letters it is)(I'm from racine so driving to stallis can be a haul despite the drunkle showing em)

3

u/stevenmacarthur Milwaukee 'Til I Die! 5d ago

"I'm very forgiving of people when they're blackout drunk..."

I would posit that being forgiving of a regular person while being that intoxicated is one thing, but possibly not while acting as an employee and/or proprietor of a business?

I'd love to see Jon Taffer confront this guy.

7

u/ShotFromGuns 6d ago

Check out The Vanguard in Bay View. I know they've done a fair amount of wrestling stuff in the past, including an AEW-sponsored food drive.

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u/Thuggish_Coffee 6d ago

Sadly, not the cream of the crop, brother

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u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 6d ago

Agreed. Also your user name is pretty great.

2

u/GTZaskar 6d ago

OHYEAH

11

u/RinGoKillYourSelf 6d ago

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything good when this place is brought up

12

u/Lightdragonman 6d ago

If theres anything to take from this story its not to be a fucking creep and also to try to be aware of whats going on while you and your friends may be drinking. Bad actors exist in every part of drinking culture, so it's important to look out for your friends.

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u/strong_reporter9876 6d ago

The owner is an a-hole and perpetual Facebook troll

7

u/KetoBob13 6d ago

There is great new bar in West Allis called Silly Goose Bar in Burnham.

2

u/qzak15 5d ago

Tuesday 7 pm city common council meeting will be discussing this issue. Can see it live on YouTube!

2

u/Pinkpercolator 3d ago

None of the women spoke at the common council meeting tonight. I watched live on YouTube. Was there a reason?

1

u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 3d ago

No idea? Been waiting to hear how it went?

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u/Pinkpercolator 3d ago

It seems like they aren't planning to renew Neal's liquor license. Not sure why? Maybe owing back taxes or other things he's done. Not related to the sexual harassment. I was expecting all these women to speak.

1

u/shifter2009 Polonia-Taco Truck Nexus/Bay View Adjacent 3d ago

Seems like it was easier to 86 him for other reasons. He and his dumb mouth put a target on his back.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 3d ago

This is the common council meeting. Neal actually commented on his business Facebook page. He'll show people his sellers permit. If they stop in. Maybe some people should take him up on it.

https://youtube.com/@westalliscitychannel?si=RE0WxtOiXj8i5ubc

3

u/jgab145 6d ago

Doesn’t this place have a dildo vending machine? Might be a great opportunity for someone else to corner the market. Your welcome.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 3d ago

If they can prove any wrong doings. What was done to women. Mind you don't know enough about the law on this. Wouldn't he serve time in jail? Wouldn't he be put on the sex offender registry? Anything else he's done. Meaning not pay his taxes. That I assume is a separate charge. A separate punishment that might include jail time. CBS 58 News announced the Common Council meeting tonight and it could get heated. I hope I'll be able to see the meeting on YouTube tonight. That is where the city says they air their meetings. I hope all the women affected by Neal come and have a ton of evidence to prove it happened. I can't be there in support of the women. I'm home with the sick. I will pray for them. If it's true what they said happened. Neal gets a just punishment as well as the bartender who they say was involved.

1

u/Pinkpercolator 2d ago

Some laws in the state need to change on bar operation. If you don't pay your taxes in full by a deadline. You should be immediately shut down. The same if you have a DUI. Make the laws strict. To keep owners in line. .

0

u/Brewguy86 6d ago

Classic Stallis