City Council Meeting

 No meeting of the City Council tomorrow night, at least not according to the schedule. Next Meeting is scheduled for August 10, although there is a Liquor Advisory Board meeting  scheduled for 2:30 tomorrow in the Civic Center, if you want to catch that.

LAB Meeting

If you want to know what is going on in the local bars and how well they police themselves, sit in on the LAB meeting this Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Center. Aside from the 2nd Quarter reports, there will also be a discussion of a report regarding underage persons inside Levels.

LAB Agenda

Only thing on this week's Liquor Advisory Board agenda is a proposal to allow taxi and similar compensated drivers to purchase and deliver alcohol to customers. Really not a bad idea as it would keep people who are going to consume the alcohol off the roads. Big concern I see is checking for underage purchases. How do you make sure that the people who order the alcohol are of legal age to consume it. When you buy it in a store, ID is required. ID would still be required but there is a lot less oversight of a taxi or Uber driver than a checker in a store.

Fat Pattie's Liquor License

Fat Pattie's liquor license for 2018-2019 comes up before the Liquor Advisory Board this Thursday night. Looks like the only thing on the agenda.

Liquor Advisory Board

So can the city get rid of the Liquor Advisory Board now? since it will no longer review  liquor license applications, which was its primary function, there seems no good reason to keep the Board in place as its functions will be limited to, according to the article, "Other changes included new language that says the advisory board may be allowed to review new liquor applications if the licensee requests additional help in preparing their application. The board will also be involved in reviewing and making recommendations to the full board on renewal applications."

Street Bar

According to the LAB agenda for tomorrow night (the committee that the city is looking at modifying), the liquor license for the Street Bar (located in the old Pony building) will transfer from an individual to a corporation. Safer for them, as corporations find it easier to limit liability than do individuals. From the agenda:

Application to transfer a Class B2 license (On premises consumption – all alcoholic liquors) from Danny Terry, an individual, d/b/a Street Bar, to S&D Ventures of Southern Illinois, LLC, d/b/a Street Bar, at 213 East Main Street 

Streamlining Liquor License Process

I see the council is moving ahead with its plan to streamline the process by which a restaurant or bar gets a liquor license, possibly by eliminating the review function of the liquor advisory board. It doesn't appear there was much announcement of the plans to modify the function of the LAB, since LAB chair Don Monty didn't know the council had plans to look at the function of the LAB. If the chair of the board didn't know about plans to modify its function, it's a pretty good bet the rest of the community didn't know either. As Monty noted, when looking at the agenda, it wasn't particularly clear which agenda item related to the proposed revamping of the LAB.

LAB Meeting

Not much on tomorrow night's Liquor Advisory Board meeting:

1. Roll Call
2. Discussion regarding proposed amendment to Title Two allowing alcohol sales to occur on university property during university-related events
3. Citizens’ Comments
 4. Board Comments
 5. Adjournment

Allow alcohol sales, more people attend bringing more money with them.

Farmers Market Liquor Licenses

Looks as if one of the Carbondale Farmers Markets may be applying for a liquor license. From the LAB Agenda:

Roll Call 2. Approval of minutes from April 7, 2016 3.
Application from Carbondale Tourism for a Class F1 liquor license (temporary; beer/wine only) to conduct sales of alcohol for a “Live On Series” concert scheduled between 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on June 17, 2016, on the 200 block of West Monroe Street and the Carbondale Civic Center parking lot

4. Review of third quarter reports (January – March) for the 2015-2016 liquor license year and review of annual reports prior to liquor license renewals
5. Discussion of Farmers’ Market liquor sales and temporary extended premises permits

 6. Liquor license renewals for the 2016-2017 license year (July 2016 – June 2017)

LAB Meeting

According to the agenda for tonight's Liquor Advisory Board, it appears that Fujiyama will be moving from its slightly parking limited location to a spot with more parking on Giant City Road.  University Place looks to be moving along with plans to offer alcoholic drinks in the theater as well.

Application to transfer the location of an existing A2 liquor license (Restaurant – serving all alcoholic liquors) held by Fujiyama from 715 North Giant City Road Suite 11 to 225 North Giant City Road 4.

Consideration of an application for a Class K license (Movie Theater) for American Multi-Cinema, Inc. d/b/a AMC Theatres University Place 8 at 1370 East Main Street

LAB Meeting

The Liquor Advisory Board meets March 3 to consider the application of Carbondale Community Arts for a liquor license for their location on West Walnut. Better be careful or the next thing they will be wanting to do is to add video gaming to the facility. We do  still have quite a ways to go in order to catch up with Mount Vernon.

Application for a Class J Liquor License (All alcoholic liquor for consumption on premises - not for profit public arts venue) for Carbondale Community Arts Inc. at 304 West Walnut St. 

American Tap Liquors

This looks as if it could get interesting. There is a request before the Liquor Advisory Board for the transfer of a liquor license from Pick's Liquors, which recently closed its East Grand location, American Tap Liquors, which, according to the meeting agenda, plans to open on the old American Tap location at 518 S. Illinois Avenue, less than a dozen yards from the current location of Old Town Liquors.

Varsity Center Liquor License

Looks as if the Varsity Center for the Arts is requesting a change in the type of liquor license it has. From the LAB agenda for this Thursday:

Approval of minutes from September 3, 2015 3. Consideration of a request to reclassify an existing liquor license from a Class B2 (On-premises consumption of all liquors) to a Class J license (Public Arts Venue) for Varsity Center for the Arts at 418 South Illinois Avenue

4. Discussion of a proposed Liquor Code classification for Movie Theaters

LAB Meeting

It looks as if La Paisano Taqueria, over on the west side of town, wants to add liquor to its menu offerings. It is just very hard for a restaurant, any restaurant, save a fast food one, to make a profit without offering at least beer as a beverage option on the menu. From the agenda for this Thursday's Liquor Advisory Board meeting

Application for a Class A2 liquor license for Los Chama, Inc. d/b/a El Paisano Taqueria at 100 North Glenview Drive Suite 103


Discussion of proposed changes to the Liquor Code regarding approval of changes in ownership or the nature of the business and requiring identification of all natural persons beneficially owning a liquor-licensed business

Video Gambling Establishments

Based on the agenda at this week's Liquor Advisory Board meeting, it looks as if people hope to cash in on the recently loosened regulations on video gambling in a big way. Two new businesses want to secure one of the new Class B3 licenses and one hold of a Class B2 license wants to switch to a B3:

Application to Reclassify a Class B2 Liquor License to a Class B3 Liquor License (Video Gaming Establishment with On-Premises Consumption) for Matt Chumbler d/b/a Lucky 13

4. Application for a Class B3 Liquor License (Video Gaming Establishment with On-Premises Consumption) for MLK Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Triple Sevens at 201 East Main Street

5. Application for a Class B3 Liquor License (Video Gaming Establishment with On-Premises Consumption) for Little Vegas Gaming, LLC d/b/a Little Vegas at 704 East Walnut Street

I recently read that revenues in the video gambling industry in Illinois more than  doubled in the past year and it looks as if these folks want a piece of the pie.

LAB Meeting

Liquor Advisory Board meets at 5:30 today. Not much on the agenda, as you can see.  Most notable thing is New Kahala Fast Foods request, after 20+ years, for a liquor license:

1. Roll Call
2. Approval of Minutes from August 7, 2014
3. Discussion of Proposed Liquor Code Classification for Public Arts Venue
4. Discussion on Approval Process for Class F1 and F2 (Temporary Liquor Licenses) for Established Organizations Holding Recurring Events
5. Discussion of Proposed Liquor Code Classification for Video Gaming Establishments
6. Consideration of a Class A1 Liquor License for Sen Fuy’s Inc. d/b/a New Kahala Fast Foods at 600 East Grand Avenue Suite 3
7. Liquor Advisory Board Comments
8. Citizens’ Comments
9.

Convenience Store Liquor Sales

City Council will discuss expansion of Class C liquor licenses to convenience stores at the council meeting tomorrow night. Currently, they cannot get a license to sell beer or wine and the Liquor Advisory Board has voted twice in the past couple of years to approve expanding Class C availability to them.

Deserved or not, Carbondale does have a reputation as a business unfriendly city. Not allowing convenience stores and gas stations to sell beer and wine only serves to reinforce that image. Near as I understand, there are two arguments in favor of keeping the restrictions in place.

1. Competition from convenience and gas stations could drive already existing liquor stores out of business. Giving government sanctioned protection to one group of businesses over another doesn't seem particularly fair though.

2. People drive into the gas station or convenience store, buy beer and drive off, opening one to drink as they drive. This one doesn't make much sense either, especially since we have at least two liquor stores in town with drive up windows.

I cannot think of any other good reasons for not allowing convenience stores to sell beer or wine. Am I missing something?

Aldi Wants to Sell You Beer

The only thing on the agenda for this Thursday's Liquor Advisory Board meeting is an application from Aldi for a Class C2 license, allowing it to sell package beer and wine. Given Aldi's business model, I don't imagine the store will offer a very large selection, probably 1-2 types of beer and an equally large selection of wine.

Expanded Alcohol Sales

According to this item from the agenda for tomorrow Liquor Advisory Board meeting,it looks as if the city will consider expanding the sales of all forms of alcohol at convenience stores and gas stations and allowing grocery stores that currently sell beer and wine to also sell package liquor:

Discussion of and Recommendations regarding Sale of Beer and Wine at Convenience Store/Gas Stations, Sale of All Packaged Liquor at Convenience Store/Gas Stations, and Sales of All Packaged Liquor at Grocery Stores.

This certainly ties in with discussion about increasing revenue at last night's city council meeting as increasing the tax on packaged liquor was one idea advanced to help reduce the gap between city revenues and expenditures. If I recall correctly, increasing the packaged liquor tax by 1% was projected to increase city revenues by between $100,000 and $200,000 per year.

Liquor Advisory Board Meeting

Sat in on part of tonight's Liquor Advisory Board meeting.  A couple of interesting things came out of it.

For the first time in recent memory, the old Spinonis' building will not get gutted for the new restaurant, Flame Eatery and Bar, going in there,  As was commented at the meeting, during the presentation for the liquor license,  a committee member commented that one of the problems prior restaurants had at the location was that each new owner completely gutted and renovated the building to make it the way they visualized it, rather than taking the restaurant layout in place and building on top of it.  By going into the project this way, the owner plans to minimizes his investment and avoid the financial difficulties previous restaurants ran into.

Also, the people behind the reopened club Melange are the same couple that have owned Kaya for over a decade on S. Illinois. Though it had no effect on the LAB approval, the committee did ask them to consider pulling down the walls the previous owner had put up around the outdoor patio.

Finally, from comments by committee members, it appears that  the expansion of beer and wine sales to grocery stores has had an effect on sales though liquor stores in the community, with one member estimating sales in the stores have declined 20-30%.