A problem, Wilson said, is that restaurants sometimes don’t stick to their early promises.

“After one month in operation, rock ’n’ roll bands are playing five nights a week and they’ve fired their cook,” he said.

Criteria based on location have been used elsewhere.

Last year, the New York State Liquor Authority issued a four-month moratorium on bars and nightclubs that are within 500 feet of other licensed bars.

No more competition?

Bar owners seem to agree that Mankato has enough bars, though this could be interpreted as a desire to cut down on competition.

Devin Gasswint, owner of the South Street Saloon, says there should be a cap on bars until the city’s population grows. But he disagrees that liquor license fees should be raised to recoup law enforcement expenses.

“That’s (BS),” he said. “I’m so tired of the city being my parent.”

Ron Doty owns T.J. Finnegan’s. He agrees that the saturation of downtown bars crams too many people into too small an area.

More bars means that it’s easier for drunk patrons to play the numbers game. With so many bars, Doty said, an intoxicated but thirsty customer is bound to be served someplace.

An answer in the works?

More money from liquor licensing to fund more law enforcement isn’t enough, Hentges said.

Bars should alter their operations to discourage a rowdy, party atmosphere, he argues. That may mean more pronounced moves toward food offerings and less dance space.

Drink specials can be a problem, too. The late-night all-you-can-drink offers — not mere drink discounting — are the problem, he said.

Finally, he said a mandatory training course ought to be considered to educate servers and security staff about what’s expected of them. Many servers, he said, are surprised to hear that they commit a gross misdemeanor when they serve an underage patron, even if he or she was allowed in by someone else.