Had such an unsettling experience with the owner and an employee at Kenny's. As a single woman who goes out to restaurants and bars alone in the evening, and as a legally blind individual navigating this town of less-than-satisfactory accessibility, I am sure to have my phone charger on me so that , at the end of the night, I'm assured a safe ride home through Uber.

Not only does Kenny's Westside have an incredible lack of outlets for public use in their dining area (ALL of the outlets were taken by in-house signs, appliances, machines and lights), the bar also has an unprecedented "rule" enforced by its owner, Sean Kenny, that patrons are not allowed to plug their smartphones in behind the bar at any time or, I was told by an employee, the employee who obliges a customer will "get fired." ...

This is odd not only because Kenny's is a 4am bar, one of the only in the downtown area, which should make the safety of patrons (the majority of which are students and young people) leaving the bar imperative to the owner and staff-- but because, in the last couple of years, all legitimate larger pubs, venues and clubs I nost cities Peoria's size provide some option for phone charging, whether it be through bluetooth, USB stations below the bar or in napkin holders at the bar-- somewhere. Kenny's does not provide this for patrons-- not women drinking alone, not the disabled, not anyone-- in conjuncture with the zero tolerance bar plug-in rule and the lack of dining area outlets.

This makes Kenny's Westside unsafe and inaccessible for anyone not driving themselves home. And it's one thing for this to be an oversight by the owner that he resolves to remedy, but in my experience at 4am, last week (mid-May, in the pouring rain) not only was I refused any option in plugging in my phone to call an Uber safely home-- I was berated by a female bartender, Katie M, for not being "a grown woman who should figure it out herself" and then further berated by the owner Sean Kenny himself, who was very obviously under the influence of something, for trying to use the one outlet I could locate with low vision, which was in the window. My phone was unplugged before it reached the meager charge I needed to get an Uber to me in 5min, by both Katie M and Sean Kenny, despite my pleading with them and explaining I was only looking to call an Uber get home safely because I was 1) a woman out downtown alone an 2) do not drive because I'm legally blind.

I was incredibly disturbed, offended and shaken by the experience. I've never been treated so poorly in any establishment in Peoria. As a local musician, event promoter and former bartender, I have many, many experiences to weigh this against and it was anomalous, disgusting, unacceptable....

On top of the panic of not knowing if I'd get home safe that night, I was contacted by the kitchen manager a couple days later and told I was banned from Kenny's by Sean and that I would be publicly embarrassed if I returned.

Quite honestly, there is very little appeal to this establishment besides certain exemplary staff members and the amazing music booked there. Otherwise, I find that the bar amenities, inventory, food quality, etc, are all sadly neglected. However, nostalgia keeps you going back to certain bars, right?

In the same, this incredibly messed up experience I had at Kenny's made such a weighty impression that I couldn't see any scenario in which I'd ever go back or recommend it to any friends traveling through town. Not only that, but I worry about the lack of concern for womens' safety at this establishment, not only by the owner himself but, apparently, by a woman bartendrr. Incredibly disappointing on many levels.

I have never left a bad review for a small business in this town. But I truly believe the owner of this bar needs to be held accountable for behavior like this and many other instances I've heard second hand. In this case, it's my responsibility to share my experience so that other women who drink alone & want to get home safe using Uber choose a different bar.