Located just off campus, Hilligan’s Bar and Grill is a popular hangout for many WKU students, but those who are under 21 may need to find a new place to frequent with friends. 

Students who are not yet of legal drinking age are no longer allowed inside the restaurant. In fact, they have to be at least 21 to be on the property at all. 

“It was a licensing issue, we had a restaurant license issue,” Bobby Ellis, a bartender at Hilligan’s, said. “50 percent of our sales had to be food, and we had nowhere near that, so now we’re a bar and not a restaurant.”

While they still currently have a license for  a restaurant, Hilligan’s is currently in court with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to determine whether or not they will lose their restaurant license. 

Hilligan’s believes they will lose money simply as a result of losing some of their clientele. 

While they still offer food on the menu, only those 21 and over will be able to enjoy it. However, students under 21 shouldn’t lament too much; while they can’t enjoy it in the building itself, they can still sample some of its cuisine.

“We can still deliver to you, but no one under 21 is allowed in,” Ellis said. 

Alexus Smith, a sophomore from Chicago, said she doesn’t think this will change too much about the atmosphere of the establishment.

“I think it’ll be about the same, I don’t think it’ll change,” she said.

Nicole Roseland, a freshman from Orlando, Florida, said she was disappointed that she would have to wait to experience it.

“I guess it bothers me because I couldn’t experience it until I’m 21,” she said.