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-curiosity-wise, what is the microphone..? -[david: hey-oooo the name of this song is no compassion.] -it's like.. it's connected to a tape recorder. -[band tuning up] -connected to a tape recorder? -yeah. -are you trying to tape this?? -yeah. -how can you tape it with all the voices? -doesn't make that much difference, i guess..

talking heads show at rathskeller boston jan 21 1977

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Stealing, Beer Bans, and Rodents…Oh my

By: Anna Dinkel (she/her/hers)

A quick google search of the Rathskeller presents a glowing image of camaraderie, entertainment, and plenty of food. Undoubtedly, these tenants of Rathskeller have been a firm basis over its 91 years on campus. However, the archives always finds a way of unearthing the more unconventional histories of campus life. I decided this month to look more closely at a subject file we have right here in the archives: Der Rathskeller. I really wanted to know more about this building and its construction after helping find a picture taken in the building for a patron (see below.)

“Sodas and Burgers at Memorial Union,” Image Courtesy of the UW-Madison Archives, S05094

What I did find, in our subject files, was a worn story about the rich tradition and history of the Rathskeller, built in 1928 as a social hall and food hub, and its great contributions to campus life. Now, don’t get me wrong, as a historian it was extremely interesting to look at the typical history of the Rathskeller. I even considered posting about the extensive murals in the Rathskeller and their Germanic meanings--but, alas, that too had already been done. As I continued to dig what I didn’t find in the tried and true history of the Rathskeller is its less, ahem, memorable events. Or at least less memorable for those who don’t want them remembered. The first article that really caught my attention in the subject file was a 2008 story in which a cool $14,000 was skimmed off the top of beer sales, by four UW Madison students and one MATC student. This story, much like the next, revolved around beer at the union, specifically at the Stiftskeller. As one of the students, Anthony Moore, told police “if a customer uses exact change, you simply consider that as your tip and keep it.”[1] Moore’s strategy didn’t work for long--as one can imagine with $14,000 dollars in missing revenue. This isn’t the only snafu that beer revenue had within the walls of Rathskeller. In a 2002 battle of the beers, Chancellor John Wiley banned the infamous 46 oz beer at the Rathskeller (commonly dubbed the Big Gulp.) This was in response to Wiley’s campaign to rid local campus bars of their high quantity drink specials. Bar and tavern owners were quick to call out the hypocrisy of the Rath’s 46 oz beers--prompting a boot on big beer.[2] Wiley also faced backlash from bar owners about memorial’s extended hours, which were until 2 a.m. during the 2002 academic year.[3] The idea of tradition versus safety was clearly a part of the Rathskeller’s past, and tension between administration and local bar owners, and yet you probably won’t hear a peep about it today on campus.

Pictured Below: “A Man Drinking from Pitcher,” far before the Big Gulp ban, circa 1981.

“A Man Drinking from Pitcher,” Courtesy of the UW-Madison Archives, 2017S00909

Lastly, and most certainly not last is the Rath’s 2000 tango with a new kind of pest: mice.[4] During the late 90’s and into the early 2000s the Rathskeller was continually having unfriendly run-ins with mice, cockroaches… and warm lunch meat. As Dee Hall reported this problem had been festering for over four years before the inspectors made some solutions to the ongoing rodent problems. Luckily, Mike Hirsch, assistant food director at Memorial Union, reassured people in the article that the “‘(inspectors) are strict--but they are very helpful.’”[5]

As we recount the many “horrors” of the Rathskeller, I wanted to present an alternative history--one that includes the good and the not so good (or appetizing) about Rathskeller. Like many subjects in history, we sometimes feel forever bound to recognize the positive in the places, people, or things we admire and cherish; and while it may seem trivial to reminisce about the past blunders in the history of the Rathskeller, it may do us some good to look at the more holistic side of past mistakes and recognize them for what they are… and sometimes, in the case of Der Rathskeller, find the humor in them as well.

[1] Pedro Oliveira Jr, “Police Charge Union Workers,” The Badger Herald (Madison, WI), Feb. 29, 2008.

[2] Aaron Nathans, “Wiley Dumps UW’s ‘Big Gulp’ of Beer in Wake of Taverns’ Ire,” The Capital Times (Madison, WI), May 3, 2002.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Dee Hall, “UW Rathskeller Works to Solve Rodent Problem,” Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), Apr. 9 2000.

[5] Ibid.

#wisconsin #madison #rathskeller #beer #mice #history