McCue, an Irishman, compared the atmosphere in Cudahy to what he encountered on a trip to Ireland.

"Over there, the pubs are where people go to sit and talk with their neighbors," he said. "That's kind of what we have here. It's part of Cudahy's fabric.

"The old-school pubs are kind of like 'Cheers.' You go in for the first time and by the time you leave you'll know everybody's name."

As the residents and business owners in other tavern-heavy neighborhoods can attest, having a number of bars in close proximity can lead to problems like noise issues, vandalism, property crimes, fights, underage drinking, drug use and drunk driving.

Blogger Randy Hollenbeck recently wrote: "Cudahy doesn't need any more bars. Here is what I propose. For every two bars we close, we give out one liquor license to open an upscale bar like the new City Lounge or K-Ranch. We help clean up our image and get a nice place to go out to. I become very discouraged and feel very sad to see so many people bashing my city all the time, but I know only better times are ahead for it."

Asked about the problems presented by taverns, McCue pointed to the charitable work and team sponsorships of many bars and chuckled and said the city has "a very fine police department" to take care of any problems.

"The taverns that are undesirable are fading away," McCue said. "That's fine. We're not going to allow problems to continue. We're raising the city's expectations."

McCue said that the addition of the City Lounge, an upscale establishment at 3455 E. Layton Ave., and extensive remodeling at the K-Ranch, 4840 S. Whitnall Ave., and other bars have helped raise the bar for the rest of the city.

"The City Lounge is an example of how successful a bar in Cudahy can be," he said. "It's added a totally different dimension. You wouldn't think of a place like that being in Cudahy.

"It's starting to evolve and bring it up a notch. Some of the bars in Cudahy could be your grandpa's bar, but we have a lot of different places to go."