"A history of serious and persistent problems" led the OLCC to its decision about the popular college bar that opened in 1922

Taylor's Bar and Grill, a popular drinking establishment across from the University of Oregon, lost its liquor license Thursday after the Oregon Liquor Control Commission voted to have the license cancelled "due to a history of serious and persistent problems."

OLCC spokesman Matt Van Sickle said the canceled license will be in effect "as soon as administratively possible." The OLCC had documented 42 serious incidents at the bar in the two years since it was under new ownership, including assaults, druggings and rapes.



Without a liquor license, the business still will be allowed to serve food, but will not be permitted to serve any alcoholic beverages.

Taylor's was closed Thursday. A note taped to the window said, "Closed for the day. See you tomorrow. — Tay's Staff."

>>Video: Student, social media reactions to Taylor’s Bar & Grill losing liquor license

Taylor's owner Ramzy Hattar could take his case to the Oregon Court of Appeals if he chooses, but as far as the OLCC is concerned, Thursday's decision was final. A phone call and email to Hattar Thursday seeking comment were not immediately returned.

The bar was operating on a temporary license after Hattar, who purchased Taylor's in 2017, applied to renew the bar’s liquor license in mid-2018 and was denied. Eugene police and the Eugene City Council supported the denial.

The OLCC recommended at the time not to renew the license, which expired in June 2018. But after Hattar requested a hearing, OLCC issued Taylor's a temporary license, and held the hearing in June last year to give Hattar one last chance to make his case for why the license should be renewed. The hearing carried over into July. Thursday, the commission heard the results of the hearing.

Taylor's Bar and Grill, next to the University of Oregon campus on Kincaid Street and East 13th Avenue, has been a campus staple since 1922. The popular college bar is known for its crowds after UO sports games, large cocktails in a bucket, and night club vibes.

In May last year, while awaiting an OLCC hearing on his license, Hatter said he made efforts with the help of Eugene, University of Oregon police and Portland departments, as well as the UO’s dean of students to try to keep students safe. Those efforts include installing surveillance cameras that covered every corner of the building and charging a $40 cover to anyone without a UO ID. The bar also eliminated one of the popular beverages served in a bucket.

The OLCC's decision Thursday was met with mixed reactions by students and people posting on social media. On Thursday afternoon, some people walked up to Taylor’s not realizing it was closed for the day while others just stopped to stare at the empty bar to see if it was true.

“I was really looking forward to graduation,” said junior Caity Cahalin. Taylor's was known for opening early in the morning before the traditional graduation march up 13th Avenue.

Cahalin recalled how on Halloween she stood outside in line for 45 minutes to get into Taylor’s.

“Nowhere else has this,” Cahalin said. “It’s the closest thing (in Eugene) to a club.”

Other students, while also sad to see Taylor’s liquor license go, felt it was probably a matter of time.

“We were shocked at the number of incidents there were,” said junior Daniel Brown. “I don’t blame the committee for taking away their license.”

Trouble started for the bar in 2016, when five women independently reported to UO police that a Taylor's bartender had spiked their drinks. The bartender was never charged. Taylor's was sold soon after to Hattar, who told The Register-Guard in May 2017, "We don’t want people drinking too much and being intoxicated. If we see signs of intoxication, we will cut people off. There will be a hard line on that. We want our student body to feel safe and to have fun at Taylor’s.”

The OLCC began tracking incidents at the location after Hattar took ownership, and by mid-2018, the commission had compiled a list of 29 serious events.

Of the most serious:

• UO police were flagged down at 1:23 a.m. June 2, 2018, by witnesses who said a bartender at Taylor’s had struck a patron, knocking him unconscious. The victim had been kicked out for attempting to steal a bottle of alcohol from behind the bar. The bartender escorted the patron outside, where he punched the patron with a closed fist, causing him to lose consciousness and fall on the pavement.

• An allegation of sexual assault was made at 1:38 a.m. March 18, 2018, when a woman said a man approached her and put his hand up her skirt, the notice stated. He threatened her and threatened to hurt her family if she told anyone, the woman told Eugene police. She said everyone involved was intoxicated.

• At 2:30 a.m. Feb. 17, 2018, a victim who left Taylor’s was assaulted by two “highly intoxicated” men outside the bar, according to the OLCC notice. The victim suffered a fractured skull and concussion. One of the men also had been a patron at the bar.

• At 2:45 a.m. Jan. 28, 2018, Eugene and UO police responded to an assault at Taylor’s. According to the OLCC notice, a man and a woman began arguing in the bar. Another man, who later became the victim, approached the couple and yelled at the man about his behavior toward the woman. Later, the victim waited outside the bar until he thought the aggressive man and his group had left. The victim then walked a block away, where the aggressive man and his group were waiting, the notice said. The man and others attacked the victim, who suffered a fractured orbital bone and partial blindness.

• On Sept. 2, 2017 a woman told police she had two alcoholic beverages at Taylor’s and did not remember anything afterward. A friend saw her being taken from the premises to a taxi by three unknown males, the OLCC notice states. After making a report to police, the woman went to the hospital to get a sexual assault exam. The result of the exam was not known.

From June 2018 to June 2019, an additional 13 incidents were added to Taylor's file, including rapes, druggings, a fight that left a man's jaw bone exposed, and a driving under the influence of alcohol crash that killed University of Oregon football player Fotu Leiato. The driver, Pedro Chavarin Jr., told police he left Taylor's at 2 a.m. after consuming alcohol before the crash occurred. He had a 0.20% blood alcohol content when he was tested at the hospital. The presumed legal limit in Oregon is 0.08%.

Van Sickle said Wednesday that no incidents were added to Taylor's file since June 2019. However, Eugene police call logs show officers were called to the location more than 10 times since then, and filed reports in seven of those, for incidents such as fights, assaults and disputes. Officers have not been called to the bar since Jan. 25.

Since Oct. 11, 2008, Eugene police call logs show officers have been called to Taylor's 492 times, compared to Rennie's Landing, another popular drinking establishment near campus, which had 89 calls in that same time frame.

A candlelight vigil for Taylor's Bar and Grill was planned by a Facebook user later Thursday. The event is from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Reporter Jordyn Brown contributed to this story.

Follow Chelsea Deffenbacher on Twitter @ChelseaDeffenB. Email chelsea.deffenbacher@registerguard.com.