SALT LAKE CITY —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
The new law, which is set to go into effect July 1, would eliminate the state’s 40-year-old private club system that required bars to charge patrons a membership before they could buy alcohol. It also eliminates the prohibitions on passing drinks to customers over a bar top and allowing customers to carry their own drinks from the bar to their seats in the restaurant. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
But starting Jan. 1, 2010, any new or newly remodeled restaurant will have to have a separate area, out of view of the customers, to open bottles of alcohol or mix drinks. Existing restaurants or those under construction that are completed by May 12 will be grandfathered in and exempt from this rule. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“Utah has been known for its peculiar liquor laws throughout the U.S. and internationally,” said Tom Guinney, co-owner of Gastronomy Inc., which operates 11 restaurants under four brands, including Market Street Grill, Market Street Oyster Bar, Market Street Fresh Market and the New Yorker. “We had to invent another quirk, but overall we’ve made progress.” —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Guinney had arranged for Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to sign the new liquor legislation on March 30 at the New Yorker, one of his fine-dining establishments. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
The final bill is not what the Utah Restaurant Association had lobbied for, said president Melva Sine. Before the ink could dry on Huntsman’s signature, several association members already had a meeting on the calendar with the governor to talk about revisions to the state’s new liquor laws. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“Our whole goal of the Utah Restaurant Association was to simplify Utah’s laws as they relate to restaurant operations,” Sine said. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Instead, the new legislation adds more complications, and pits old restaurants against new restaurants, she said. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“The grandfathering will turn out to be a good thing for everyone in the state of Utah,” Sine said. “But once again, we’re seeing the confusion over the little technicalities. Consumers don’t keep track of who is old and new. They just know, ‘I went into this restaurant and was treated like this, then I went into this restaurant and was treated differently.’” —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
The association also is concerned the new rules may discourage national and regional chains from coming to Utah because they would have to change the standard design and layout of their concepts, Sine said. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
But for existing restaurants in the state that will be grandfathered in, the revised liquor laws are welcome, operators said. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“It minimizes the inconvenience for the guest,” said Art Cazares, general manager of the Bambara restaurant and Club Bambara, a downtown property owned by San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurants Group LLC. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Club Bambara is the bar area at one end of the restaurant. When the new law goes into effect in July, Cazares will no longer have to charge customers the club member fee if they want to wait for a table at the bar. Customers can also take their drinks with them from the bar when their table is ready. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Having to correct the behavior of out-of-state visitors or spend time explaining why they cannot do something, puts operators at a disadvantage when it comes to creating an inviting and hospitable atmosphere, Cazares said. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“The [current law] created a hole we had to climb out of before we could provide hospitality in an open manner to our guests,” Cazares said. “You can’t put your best foot forward when they are angry even before you start serving them. I love hospitality, I love serving guests, but I do not love Utah’s liquor laws.” —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Service should be smoother for customers, said Joe Lambert, an operating partner of Squatters Pub and Brewery, which has locations in downtown Salt Lake City, the nearby ski resort town of Park City and at the Salt Lake City airport. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“They will not see the little dance that goes on of preparing their cocktails and walking it around to someone,” Lambert said. “They can purchase them over the bar.” —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
Squatters’ downtown location has a bar that is licensed as a tavern, which allows the brewpub to serve its beers over the bar to customers. But currently customers in the bar area cannot drink spirits, wine or beer with an alcohol content higher than 4.0, said spokeswoman Amy Coady. If the brewpub were able to get a license for one of the new categories created under the revised laws, it would be able to serve other drinks besides beer in the bar. —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.
“The less you know about Utah’s liquor laws, the easier they are to understand,” Lambert said. “As much as I tongue-in-cheek it, it’s a big step for Utah, which has always been a bit behind the rest of the country.” —Local restaurateurs are cheering recent reforms to the state’s liquor laws, but the new rules are not without some idiosyncrasies that are already prompting some operators to call for change.