River North Residents Say Obnoxious Club Is Ruining The Neighborhood

(CBS) – Bottled Blonde, which opened in November, is a business under fire in the River North neighborhood.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports some neighbors claim it's brought nothing but problems to the area.

They say the establishment causes traffic snarls and encourages rowdy behavior, even public urination; residents say one woman left Bottled Blonde only to use the entranceway to a nearby building as a toilet.

Drunken chaos is bad enough. But worse, residents say, is that Bottled Blonde is in violation of its operating agreement with the city.

"They told the community they were opening up as a restaurant. And though they may be a restaurant during the day, at night it turns into a nightclub," says neighbor Cyndi Roppolo Rosenberg.

Bottled Blonde's plan of operation clearly states it "shall operate as a restaurant" and "shall not operate in a manner where the sale of alcoholic beverages is the primary business activity."

Neighbor Ryan Reeves just laughs.

"I attempted to get a reservation for a group of five friends on a Saturday at 4 p.m., and they told me it was bottle service only and a $500 minimum -- at 4 p.m," he says.

So, Reeves and others are fighting to get the business to comply or close down.

Marcus Cooke, Bottled Blonde's representative, says they are trying to amicably resolve the issues and comply with the operation plan. There are now "Respect Our Neighbors" signs and other messages on the doors.

It's all met with neighborhood skepticism.

"They're trying to get away with as much as they can, and then when they get caught, they stop. They turn off their Facebook page. They adjust their strategy," resident Stuart Nagel says.

Bottled Blonde owners and the residents have already met twice with the city. A spokesperson for the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection says a third meeting is scheduled for May.

If no resolution is reached, the city's Law Department will then get involved.