Cheap Shots loses its lease

When students return to the University in August, they will find a Strip that is light one business. That's because Cheap Shots must vacate its premises by June 30, the expiration date on its lease.

The bar is being evicted by the University, which owns the block in which Cheap Shots is located. The block is bookended by Cheap Shots and the space formerly occupied by The Booth, with Pita Pit, Lai Lai and Pepito's in the middle.

"The University has notified Cheap Shots that it will not renew its lease," said UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen. "And the reason for that is that the University concluded that Cheap Shots was not complying with the terms and conditions of the lease.

"As a property owner, we expect our tenants to be sure that all premises are in good order and repair conditions, and they were not meeting the standards."

Cheap Shots is not the only business on that block to find itself in hot water with the University, however. The University also had some strong words for Pepito's, Andreen said, though the restaurant's lease is not up this year, and it will not be forced out.

"The University has informed Pepito's that it expects the premises to be kept in good order, repair and condition," Andreen said. "We expect all of our tenants to comply with the terms of their leases. If we find a tenant is not complying with the terms of a lease, we will evaluate the situation and respond appropriately."

Andreen said she believes the other businesses on the block, Lai Lai and Pita Pit, were not contacted in that manner.

SGA President Cason Kirby said he was surprised and upset about the announcement.

"My first reaction was surprise. I didn't know that was going to be an issue with Cheap Shots this year," Kirby said. "As the University grows, as enrollment expands, I think we're going to have a need for more places for students to go out.

"I think that's a place that a lot of students like to go hang out and have a drink on the weekends, and I would certainly like to see it stay."

Kirby also said he understands the University's actions and does not condemn them.

"What I've heard from the University is not necessarily that they are against having bars on the Strip," he said. "They just want nicer establishments, and not having University students hanging out at dumps every night."

Kirby said he is happy the University is giving Pepito's some leniency.

"I know that right now … they're allowing Pepito's to review some of their policies and try to fix some of the violations that they had," he said. "I'm very pleased that they're giving Pepito's another shot."

In late 2006, when it was revealed that the University would purchase property on the Strip, many students and some property owners were concerned about University interference with the area's livelihood, and the bars, specifically.

The closing of Cheap Shots, though, will be the first bar closing on the Strip in which the University has had a direct and visible hand since that announcement. The Booth closed when the previous property owner did not renew its lease shortly before the block was sold, and The Library was closed when the Tuscaloosa City Council declared it a "public nuisance."

One new bar, The Red Shed, opened on 13th Avenue behind Egan's Bar in October.