Despite a visit from the police at Rick’s American Café last Thursday evening, Rick’s manager Chris Hesse said the bar is continuing with business as usual.
Ann Arbor Police Department Sgt. Craig Flocken said a police officer came to Rick’s that night for a routine inspection when a patron hit a bartender with a bottle of beer. The officer then called for backup. An arrest was made, and the culprit was taken into custody, according to Flocken.
Flocken said during inspections, police investigate possible false uses of identification, check for fire code violations, make sure the venue is not exceeding capacity and look for other potential safety hazards or concerns. Hesse added that nothing was amiss.
“The police were here a couple of times this weekend to check things out, to check for issues, but nothing was found,” Hesse said.
Some patrons who were at Rick’s on Thursday night surmised that the police presence was due to underage drinking and the use of fake IDs. However, the AAPD and Rick’s confirmed that the walk-through Thursday night was not primarily to check people’s identification.
Hesse said he takes additional precautionary measures to prevent underage people from entering the bar with false identification.
“I think we’ve been successful,” Hesse said. “We look forward to our continued tradition of only allowing those that should be here, here — and keeping minors out.”