Progress in Utah must always come in "baby steps."
There are blaring headlines all across the Utah print media this morning, with stories from the Standard-Examiner, Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, reporting that Utah's quirky private club system stands on the verge of abolition.
Key "stakeholders" have been working their fingers to the bone hammering out this new landmark legislation, and needless to say, everyone involved in working out this compromise legislation is feeling quite elated.
For a handy executive summary of the contents of this the bill that all these hard working folks have so very carefully crafted, check out this page from The Senate Site.
From our viewpoint, the provision for new restaurants, which would require a "structural barrier so that facilities for dispensing and storage are not readily visible or accessible by restaurant patrons and apart from dining area," is the most interesting of the new bill's provisions. In that connection we'll go out on a limb and predict that this language will be the first to be excised from this legislation during the 2010 legislative session, after restaurateurs like Chili's say "NO" to the opening of any new restaurants in the still-backward Beehive State.
As the Standard-Examiner sagely says, progress in Utah must always come in "baby steps."
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4 comments:
Baby steps indeed. The way I understand it, should you be overcome with a thirst for something alcoholic while walking the mean streets of Ogden or Salt Lake City or Moab, and should you step into a Chilli's or an Iggy's and seat yourself at the counter there seeking a soothing libation, but without wishing to order food, you will still be denied. You'd have to find a former Private Club for Members to get a drink alone. [That right?]
Baby steps. But as we have to say so often in Utah, "the longest journey begins with a single step." Or perhaps "the deepest drink begins with single sip." Or something like that.
The one I don't get is that no new restaurants will be allowed to have bars. What's with this? This particular requirement hardly represents progress. This one will not be beneficial in having outside interests come here. Instead of the Zion Curtin they've just completely done away with bars in restaurants?
The desire among our State's leadership to remain quirky and different seems to be their real objective, must just be their tourism marketing plan, a quirky different little state.
Bill,
I believe new restaurants can have bars but all drink mixing must be hidden from view.
How will the "hidden from view" law impact a citizen who opts to brew up a batch in his home? I don't think I can afford a wall across the front of my property and besides, the do it yourself thing is a cost saving measure isn't it? One thing is for sure, it sure makes me proud to live in a state with such farsighted law makers. After all they have a big job protecting the sheep from themselves.
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