The city of St. Louis is investigating Chea+ter’s Sports Grill and Ultrapub over the ownership of the bar’s liquor license and improper paper work filed with the city, forcing it to close its doors an hour and a half early.

The St. Louis Liquor Control Board is reviewing who holds the ownership of the bar’s liquor license to see if it matches who owns the establishment on Laclede Street, according to Excise Commissioner Robert Krailberg.

“We weren’t sure who was running the operation, and from what we have gathered, Mike Sansone is the current owner,” Krailberg said. “They should have filed earlier; they moved forward before the proper paper work was filed.”

Director of Operations for Cheater’s Matt Ratz confirmed that Sansone is the current owner of the bar and liquor license, and Brian Monday, whose name is on the change of name registration form filed with the city, has backed out of the business.

“There were a couple of bylaws that we didn’t abide by. We have a 1:30 a.m. license right now, and we are going to live with it and roll with the punches,” Ratz said. “The bottom line for us is affected, you are talking about us closing up at 1:30. You are talking about an hour and a half of prime time for our business, and that is the facts right now and something we have to deal with.”

If the bar had switched owners, a new liquor license application would have needed to be filed with the city.  Saint Louis University and all property owners within 500 feet of the bar would then be able to voice any protests of the bar for review of a new liquor license.

These petitions have already been voiced by Vice President for Student Development Kent Porterfield as he criticized Chea+ter’s since it changed from Laclede Street Bar and Grill this summer, stating the name was in “poor taste” and was a “poke at the University and its mission.”

Ratz said the bar’s name will be changed to Pierre Laclede Pub Eatery, and some of the more controversial aspects of the bar that SLU spoke out against, such as the schoolgirl uniforms, will be taken out.

“We realized that it is a sensitive issue that the name falls with academic cheating, and we took that to heart, and we are going to make a change,” Ratz said. “We want to be a friendly neighbor, and we want SLU’s support.”

Porterfield said he is encouraged by the change.

“I don’t like the name and I was open about that. It certainly seems that the new name will be more appropriate,” Porterfield said.

For now, Chea+ter’s will close its doors at 1:30 a.m. to comply with their current liquor license.  Ratz said it could take months for their 3 a.m. license to be reinstated because to the longevity of the process.

Krailberg said that there is no application pending from Chea+ter’s to reinstate the full license, and once all the paper work is properly filed, the business will be under review.

“Right now our main focus is to become a restaurant and to teach these kids to come in early and have fun earlier in the night, which has happened this past week,” Ratz said.