Iconic Five Points dive bar Group Therapy can keep its liquor license, judge rules
A judge has approved a liquor license renewal for Five Points legendary dive bar Group Therapy.
Administrative law Judge Shirley Robinson ruled that the bar, which has been open in the funky urban village near the University of South Carolina for 43 years, can continue to serve customers.
The license’s renewal was opposed by some neighbors, the University of South Carolina and Columbia police. They claimed the bar, owned by former USC quarterback Steve Taneyhill, had become a burden to the Columbia Police Department because of frequent calls to the Greene Street establishment.
However, Robinson wrote that testimony by police, neighbors and USC referred to ”nuisance behavior associated with Five Points in general, (but) there is, at best, very limited evidence showing that this particular location is unsuitable for licensure.”
She continued: “. . . it is evident that Group Therapy has maintained a reputation for peace and good order in the community which can be attributed directly to Taneyhill’s positive relationship with law enforcement and his willingness to take steps designed to address and mitigate problems at their request.”
The judge did have two minor qualifications: That the bar add more high-tech ID scanners and it be managed to reflect industry “best practices.”
Bakari Sellers, attorney for Taneyhill, said the bar “has been a good corporate citizen for 40-plus years,” and is presently serving the children of former patrons.
“And Group will be there and be a good corporate citizen when the students of today have kids,” he said. “But we always want to do better. So we are going to reach out to the community, the university and the police agencies, to make sure that patrons can continue to come to a safe and secure environment.”
Group Therapy’s liquor license renewal was approved by the S.C. Department of Revenue last year. But protesters claim the bar contributes to the overall rowdiness and violence in the area.
Thousands of young people — mostly USC students — regularly descended on the entertainment district by the thousands before the coronavirus emptied the campus and Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all bars and restaurant dining rooms closed.
The young people, many underage, engage in drunken behavior, vandalism, lewd conduct and general mayhem, the neighbors said in testimony.
The neighbors are represented by the law firm of state Sen. Dick Harpootlian. Firm attorney Chris Kenney, who argued the case against Group Therapy’s liquor license for the neighbors, said the protesters intend to appeal..
“I don’t understand how you can (hear) all of the adjacent neighborhoods, the largest university in South Carolina and two police agencies testifying that this location is unsuitable and rule otherwise,” he said.
Sellers responded: “While Chris and Dick continue to waste resources and clog up the court system we will continue to ensure that our client is a good corporate citizen.”
The neighbors have protested the liquor license renewals of several late-night bars in the village. Those efforts have already caused the closure of three bars: The Roost, Cover 3 and The Horseshoe.
They were among a series of Five Points bars that opened late in the evening, many usually from Thursday through Saturday, and lured in crowds with cheap liquor.
About a dozen of the late night bars remain open.
The late night bars often try undermine the prices of competing establishments, called “the race to the bottom,” and advertise their specials through social media.
Many of those establishments don’t sell substantial amounts of food, a requirement under state law to qualify for a liquor license.
Group Therapy is different from those establishments in that it opens in the afternoon and offers a full kitchen and menu. It also is a regular stop for many older patrons.
The bar also holds decades of nostalgia for its customers, with alumni and others stopping in to revisit their memories of partying past.
The band Hootie and the Blowfish, which formed in Columbia, named its recent world tour after the bar.
Since purchasing Group Therapy in 2016, Taneyhill had changed the vibe of the joint from a hippy-tinged hangout with its walls filled with photos of customers, to more of a sports-oriented theme, gearing it to more to a younger, late-night crowd.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 3:12 PM.