Hey, the fewer regs on the adult consumption of alcohol the better, but I’m having a hard time understanding exactly what hardship North Carolina’s infamous “private club” charade has at this late date. The state’s tourism industry, including the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority, wants to ditch the three-day waiting period for memberships to clubs that serve liquor-by-the-drink. The argument is current law “hurts tourism,” natch.
Let’s think about that. If I understand the ABC regs — and by all means jump in and correct me — the private club bit only applies if you don’t have a kitchen, have seating less than 36, and get less than 30 percent of your total gross receipts from food. Country clubs have their own special carve-out which lumps club fees in with food sales, while community theatres and convention centers/arenas have their own day-of-performance green light to sell booze. Clearly the status quo does not hamper them.
As a practical matter bars and niteclubs in Charlotte and elsewhere have dealt with these limits on alcohol by keeping running “sign-in” sheets at the door, one for members and one for guests. This set-up evidently satisfies ALE agents, who after all are primarily concerned about under-age and non-taxed sales.
So then, why the push for a change?
The example CRVA head Tim Newman gives is curious, an inability to get a tour group into Dale Jr.’s Whisky River at the frickin’ EpiCenter without a crap-load of temporary memberships for the group. Really? Whisky River has so few members that the sign-up sheet thing will not work?
Something tells me our local travel and tourism industry has much bigger problems looming on the horizon than getting tour groups liquored up.
