Tempe Tavern says raids destroyed its business
Tempe Tavern Takes City to Federal Court Over Raid "Smear Campaign"
If you've spent any time near Arizona State University's campus, you probably know Tempe Tavern — the cobblestone-walled bar on the corner of McClintock and Apache Boulevard that's been pouring drinks since 2011 in the same historic building once known as the White Dairy Barn. Now, the bar is fighting for its life in federal court.
Owners of Tempe Tavern 1810, LLC filed a 21-page federal lawsuit on February 23rd, alleging the city of Tempe, Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy, and Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control officials conspired to destroy the business through a pair of massive 2025 raids and what the bar calls a deliberate public smear campaign.
The drama kicked off in April 2025 when dozens of officers swept through the bar, resulting in 173 arrests — 165 of them underage. Then in November, after investigators connected a 19-year-old suspect in a fatal September hit-and-run to the bar, law enforcement came back in force. That raid produced a staggering 249 citations. The city then went public, linking Tempe Tavern to the tragedy on social media.
The bar's attorney argues the hit-and-run suspect used a convincing fake ID, had also visited multiple other ASU-area parties that night, and that investigators only pointed the finger at Tempe Tavern. The bar says it never found an unlawful alcohol sale during either raid and was cited only for a minor security plan issue.
The financial toll has been brutal. According to the lawsuit, gross sales have cratered to roughly 10 percent of pre-raid levels, and the bar is seeking more than $9 million in damages for lost business and reputational harm.
The city isn't backing down, pointing out that of 530 underage drinking arrests at Tempe bars over two years, nearly 80 percent happened at Tempe Tavern. Legal experts note the bar faces a high burden of proof to establish selective enforcement. This one's headed for a showdown.
Sources: FOX 10 | AZ Family | KTAR | 12 News | KJZZ | Phoenix New Times | Hoodline