Restaurant owners organize to oppose drink special restrictions

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Local restaurants and bars are voicing their concerns about proposed drink special regulations.

The regulations would prevent places from being able to have drink specials, such as two for ones, bottomless cups, or samples. It would also set the prices for drinks based on alcohol sales at each establishment.

Several local businesses organized a protest for Monday to voice their concerns about the proposed ordinance. The protest will be held outside of City Hall at 2:30 p.m. before a meeting scheduled at 3 p.m. where the public can ask questions about the ordinance, as well as give their opinions.

The purpose of the ordinance is to reduce underage drinking, alcohol-related crashes and crime and excessive drinking.

Mark Sulltrop owns several restaurants in Columbia, including 44 Stone. He is against the proposed changes.

“As an independent business owner, I don’t like someone setting my prices, what I am able to charge. That wasn’t the agreement when I went into business here in Columbia,” he said.

He said there are already laws in place to prevent these types of things.

“I think we have laws in place and we need to work on, we have problems with having the funding to hire more officers to enforce those, so let’s create more ordinances that they have to try to enforce doesn’t really seem to make sense,” he said.

He said the ordinance would have a larger effect on some Columbia bars than restaurants like his but it would still have a negative impact. He said the bar at 44 Stone is known for craft beer.

“What do we do if we get someone that doesn’t like a beer? Used to be you could sample it. ‘Oh, I didn’t like this. I’m not going to order it.’ Now what do you do when someone doesn’t like a beer? Well, I can’t really comp it, according to the ordinance. So then obviously you have customers that are unhappy,” Sulltrop said.

He was also frustrated with the wording of the ordinance.

“I am the head bookkeeper for both restaurants that I own and trying to figure out, I sat in a meeting with other business owners, and trying to figure out what is meant in the ordinance by the city is open to interpretation, so that is a concern,” he said.

He referenced one specific section that would set prices for drinks based on alcohol sales.

“It’s super confusing. It’s 70 percent based on total alcohol sales … I don’t understand it. And like I said, I do the bookkeeping for my restaurants and I don’t understand it. I have an accountant, so does that mean I have to have an accountant to figure out what I’m able to charge my drinks? Obviously there’s a cost with that,” he said.

Kurt Mirtsching is a manager at Shakespeare’s Pizza. He also said the proposed regulations would not prevent things like underage drinking.

“Regulating it in this way, I’m not sure exactly if it’s going to solve the problem or just move the problem around. But, if it’s going to be everyone in town that has to stick with these rules, then it’ll be the same for everybody, so it’s kind of a moot point,” Mirtsching said.

He said if the council approves the ordinance, businesses would have to learn to adapt.

“I think the city’s doing a really good job researching and trying to figure out how to make things as best as they can. They’ve done a lot of studies and looked at what other communities are doing and what programs have worked elsewhere. And if it works elsewhere, it might work for Columbia. And, like I said, if it passes and everybody has to do the same thing, then people have to compete in another way,” he said.

“Whatever comes down the road that the city decides is what’s appropriate. Shakespeare’s will try to do the right thing,” he added.