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Central New York Bars Reinforce Rules for College Students Central New York Bars Reinforce Rules for College Students

By Ilana Epstein

ILANA EPSTEIN: Riley Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River last Friday. Police continuing to report that his death quote, continues to appear accidental. The story bringing attention to college bars all across the nation, including right here in Central New York.

DYLAN VOLK: “We do have a lot of students from S-U, Le Moyne and O-C-C come on in especially on a Friday, Saturday night.”

ILANA: Dylan Volk, the general manager of Wolff’s Biergarten says that their security became stricter when they started their new ownership last summer. About a five minute drive from Biergarten is Margaritas, which recently expanded to include a nightlife experience.

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ: “Well we have a scanner at the door for events and then also like our bartenders I-D everybody so, you know, as long as they show us an ID, you know and are 21, you know they can come in.”

ILANA: If a college student becomes too intoxicated at a bar here in Central, New York, a few things might happen. The bar staff may no longer serve the college student any alcohol, the bar staff may also ask the college student to leave premises and in some situations, if the college student can’t take care of themselves, the bar staff may call emergency services or the police.

ILANA: Both Margaritas and Biergarten telling me that they rarely have instances where students are too intoxicated, but they do have plans in place.

ALEJANDRO: “Sometimes we get like one or two people that are over intoxicated so we have to get them out or call them an uber.”

DYLAN: “They know when to tell somebody is drunk, they know when somebody has a fake I-D of course, so that’s area number one. Area number two, my bartenders are all New York State tip trained. And then we also have our cameras.”

ILANA: Matthew Malinowski weighing in, saying quote there might be increased scrutiny from authorities and potential legal repercussions for establishments found to be serving alcohol irresponsibly.

DYLAN: “We keep our eyes peeled, everybody who comes into Wolff’s is part of the family. We’d like to keep it that way.”

ILANA: For N-C-C News, I’m Ilana Epstein.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — It has been nearly two and a half weeks since 22-year-old University of Missouri student Riley Strain disappeared after getting kicked out of a Nashville bar while vacationing with his fraternity brothers. Last Friday, March 22, Riley’s body was found in the Cumberland River, just eight miles from where he was last seen. After a primary autopsy, police are continuing to report that his death was an accident. The news has brought attention to college bars all across the nation, including Central New York.

Bars downtown like Margaritas Mexican Cantina and Wolff’s Biergarten are common spots for college students from Onondaga Community College, Le Moyne College and Syracuse University to gather.

Margaritas recently opened up Margaritas After Dark, which turns the restaurant into a club-like space on weekends.

“Margaritas has a scanner at the door for events and as long as [students] show an ID, and are 21, they can come in,” Owner Alejandro Gonzalez said.

Biergarten has college nights all weekend long and even hosts trivia on Thursdays.

“My bartenders are all New York State TIP trained,” Biergarten General Manager Dylan Volk said.

TIPS, also known as Training for Intervention Procedures, teaches staff how to recognize and prevent intoxication. Volk says that having his staff fully trained in the alcohol service industry is extremely important to him.

Volk also shared that the training processes are long, usually lasting over the course of a few months. He added that Biergarten has cameras.

“If anything goes down we do have the capability to go over those,” Volk said.

Both Volk and Gonzalez shared that they haven’t had many problems with underage drinking or overconsumption much in the past. They are both very aware of the laws in New York State. 

The laws in New York state regarding alcohol consumption:

  • Anyone under the age of 21 cannot drink.
  • IDs must be checked before serving alcohol at bars.
  • Bar staff must recognize signs of intoxication and refuse service to already drunk individuals.
  • Bars must follow Dram Shop laws, which state that bar owners can get in trouble if they serve alcohol to someone drunk who later harms another person.

“There might be increased scrutiny from authorities and potential legal repercussions for establishments found to be serving alcohol irresponsibly,” Matthew Malinowski of the Syracuse Police Department said. This comes after the death of Riley Strain.

Both Margaritas and Biergarten say they plan to strengthen their security in the coming weeks.

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