Walnut Creek Police

Popular Walnut Creek Bar Crogan's to Close After 39 Years

A longtime and popular Walnut Creek bar is closing next week after 39 years of business after police and the city complained about the crime and calls for service there.

In a Facebook post, Crogan's said its last day would be Jan. 23. The reason for the closure wasn't explicit, but the post said, "unfortunately, the city has made in clear that they have very specific ideas in mind for what Walnut Creek should be and Crogan's no longer fits into their narrative. Ultimately, we have been forced to closed our doors."

In November, NBC Bay Area reported Crogan's Sports Bar & Grill was being blamed by the city for draining police resources. The city held a special hearing to consider a new requirement for the bar to stop liquor sales at midnight and to close by 12:30 a.m.

It is a move that would put Crogan's out of business, owner Patricia Wilkinson said at the time.

"It makes a huge difference monetarily for us," Wilkinson said.

Authorities said the bar on Locust Street has become a public nuisance, sucking up resources with police responding to more than 700 calls in the last four years. City officials also said police are unable to patrol residential neighborhoods because they are being tied up with calls to the bar.

No other bar in the city calls for service as much as Crogan's does, police said, a number that Crogan's owners had disputed.

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