Club expected to suffer without alcohol sales

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 | 9:45 a.m.

The liquor bottles stayed behind the bar at Jaguars Tuesday afternoon, then were taken a few hours later as the strip club turned itself into a nonalcoholic venue to comply with a decision hours earlier by the Clark County Commission.

Club managers said they hoped Jaguars wouldn't remain a "juice bar" for long, and said that not being able to sell alcohol will prompt customers to go elsewhere and probably cost the club so much business that they will have to cut about 400 of the 500 jobs.

"The fewer customers there are the fewer employees you need," Tom Waddell, a club manager, said. "It has a domino effect."

The effects of the decision were visible Tuesday evening as dancers and patrons went to the door or inside, only to leave after hearing that no alcohol was being served that night.

Jason Jones, 35, of Las Vegas, said he usually goes to Jaguars three times a week, but on Tuesday night he and two friends headed for a different club after finding out that no alcohol would be served at Jaguars.

"They need the alcohol to keep the atmosphere," Jones said. "The other options won tonight."

Las Vegas taxi driver Jerry Lynse said he too thinks that not having alcohol will hurt Jaguars.

Lynse, 50, said that while many of his fares who want to go to strip clubs ask to go to an all-nude club, most change their minds when they find out the all-nude clubs don't serve alcohol.

"When they hear there's no alcohol they want to go somewhere else," he said. "This is going to hurt them a lot."

Jaguars began serving only water, juice and soda as soon as the commissioners voted Tuesday afternoon to pull the club's liquor license, Mark Rodney, another club manager, said.

Then around 5:20 p.m., the club lights came on and staff and customers were told the club was closing temporarily and it was unclear whether that would be hours, days or weeks.

The timing of the commission decision that for now allows to Jaguars to be open was criticized by management and staff.

Speaking before the decision was made to reopen as a dry club, cocktail waitress Angie Robinson said she was worried that money she had been saving for Christmas would have to be used to pay her bills.

"I thought because there was a new owner this would be taken care of," Robinson, 21, said, referring to the recent sale of the club from Michael Galardi to his father, Jack Galardi.

The younger Galardi has pleaded guilty to federal charges in a political corruption case in Las Vegas and San Diego, which county officials have said made him unsuitable to hold the liquor license.

Fellow cocktail waitress Robin Kelly said: "The timing is most unfortunate."

Around 7 p.m. Rodney taped a white piece of paper to Jaguars' front door that read: "Due to circumstances beyond our control we will be closed temporarily."

He said Jaguars would reopen later that night after the liquor was removed from the club.

Jaguars reopened around 8:45 p.m. with the shelves behind the bar empty.

Waddell said they were upset the club couldn't sell alcohol for now.

"We're shocked. We don't know why the new owner and leasee weren't given the chance to be heard or given a temporary license," Waddell said, adding that alcohol is the "life's blood" and "main revenue stream" for Jaguars.