A few local restaurant owners were in attendance with questions and concerns, and though the final details and the final draft have not yet been written in anything resembling stone, everyone left the City Hall courtroom after over an hour of discussion with a fairly good idea of how the new ordinance will read.
The main concerns which the Council decided upon Tuesday were of legal and monetary ramifications — namely, the costs to the restaurant owners and to the city and the codes by which they all must abide.
Owners were also asked to prepare methods by which they can keep track of their daily gross income percent-ages of food and alcohol sales. The council decided to impose a minimum of 70% food sales into the ordinance. They also stressed that while restaurant owners reserve the right to offer occasional discounts and specials on alcohol sales, there can be no form of “happy hour” involving beer or wine given to customers without some sort of charge. In other words: no free drinks.
Also, per state statute, any building in which beer and wine is sold must be at least 300 feet or more from any school, church or property owned by any housing authority, measured in a straight line from the corner of the building to the edge of the restricted property.
One more meeting will be held to discuss the details, and the final draft of the ordinance will be voted upon by the city council July 12 at the earliest.
Read more: CatWalkChatt – LaFayette hammers out details in beer wine ordinance
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