Indian Head Park Bar Apologized For Bar Hours Mix-Up Earlier This Year

INDIAN HEAD PARK, IL – A new bar opened earlier this year in Indian Head Park, saying it would be open until 4 a.m.

The problem: The village didn't allow such a schedule.

Now, Stars & Stripes Sports Lounge, 6928 Wolf Road, is open until 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.

In a Jan. 7 email, owner Daniel Miller, a Forest Park police officer, apologized for the misunderstanding. He said the confusion may have been over the difference between allowable operating hours and hours for serving alcohol.

"My intention in requesting hours of 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. was to serve first responders and other shift workers who get off at non-traditional hours and often have limited options," Miller said to Village President Amy Jo Wittenberg. "Additionally, the early morning hours were intended to accommodate golfers teeing off early in the morning."

He said he had not been aware of the ordinance restricting hours until the day before. The "unintentional" mistake, he said, was immediately corrected.

"Prior to being notified, we had already had dispatchers and other shift workers stop by late at night," Miller said.

As a police officer, Miller said he had a great respect for laws and ordinances and took compliance seriously.

As a heads-up, Miller said his business had recently bought $1,000 in custom employee shirts with the original hours.

"If you happen to see staff wearing them, please know that the shirts reflect the prior misunderstanding and not our current compliant operations," Miller said.

He continued, "(T)here was never any intent to bend the rules or gain an advantage over any other establishment, including Wolf's Head (which truly has the best ribs)."

In an email, Andrez Beltran, assistant to the village administrator, said to Miller, "It might have been a miscommunication on our part."

Patch obtained the correspondence through a public records request.