WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

Now this is horse shit.

Motor Boater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
4,353
Reaction score
3,741
I like to eat at local mom and pop places as much as I can. We have a local sports bar in the neighborhood that we eat at frequently. In fact it’s kind of a thing in the neighborhood to meet there for taco Tuesday, Saturday lunch, after kids sports etc. This place has very good food for a sports bar and the owner does a good job on keeping up quality, offering specials etc.

Today we stop in for some pizza and salad. I ask the owner how’s he’s doing business wise. He shrugs and says he’s hanging in there about 20% off his typical numbers so he’s not complaining. Then he tells us he got busted by the state for the first time in over 20 some years. His liquor license is such that he has to sell a certain amount of food to alcohol which has never been a problem for him. With Covid they made him shut down half his tables so he didn’t hit the food number for the first time ever. So the state fines him $2,000 and gives him a time limit to purchase a full bar liquor license. Said license is $150K. So he appeals it and they say ok you have a year to get your food sales up but they still fined him the 2 grand. WTF. This sounds like California laws. Take away half my tables and then punish me for not selling enough food?????? I couldn’t believe it. Is the state trying to get these businesses to fail?
 

Looking Glass

1 = Well = Known = Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
8,290
Reaction score
13,934
I like to eat at local mom and pop places as much as I can. We have a local sports bar in the neighborhood that we eat at frequently. In fact it’s kind of a thing in the neighborhood to meet there for taco Tuesday, Saturday lunch, after kids sports etc. This place has very good food for a sports bar and the owner does a good job on keeping up quality, offering specials etc.

Today we stop in for some pizza and salad. I ask the owner how’s he’s doing business wise. He shrugs and says he’s hanging in there about 20% off his typical numbers so he’s not complaining. Then he tells us he got busted by the state for the first time in over 20 some years. His liquor license is such that he has to sell a certain amount of food to alcohol which has never been a problem for him. With Covid they made him shut down half his tables so he didn’t hit the food number for the first time ever. So the state fines him $2,000 and gives him a time limit to purchase a full bar liquor license. Said license is $150K. So he appeals it and they say ok you have a year to get your food sales up but they still fined him the 2 grand. WTF. This sounds like California laws. Take away half my tables and then punish me for not selling enough food?????? I couldn’t believe it. Is the state trying to get these businesses to fail?


Then they are confused when/if people revolt or?
 

petie6464

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
1,285
Reaction score
2,368
I feel sorry far any brick and mortar store, it's a loosing battle.

Much like the dinosaurs they will be extinct before you know it, its sad I always liked shopping in a store and having to make a choice of maybe a few different offerings. Now it gives me a headache looking for a light bulb or a gallon of milk; I don't need to have hundreds of different choices.
 

termiteguy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2008
Messages
2,950
Reaction score
1,566
I'm starting wonder if the state is trying to run all the small private owned bars out of business. All so they can open state owned bars so that they can control all liquor sells. It's a thought that keeps running thru my head
 

beertruck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
334
Reaction score
917
I sympathize with the business owner, being a restaurant owner myself. Being down 20% sucks, but during these times that's not too bad.
The part that is hard to follow is how the food to beverage ratio changed so much with the reduction of seats. You would think the alcohol sales would see a similar reduction with less seats. Many places are seeing food sales compared to alcohol sales skyrocket especially with take out sales being food as a majority.
We have gone from 30-35% alcohol sales to less than 5% with take out only sales, and 20% when we had partial dine in due to not allowing actual bar seating, and 6 foot separation.
 

Motor Boater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
4,353
Reaction score
3,741
This is in AZ. I was commenting that it sounds a lot like California. The owner is a nice guy and he wasn’t complaining. I think he feels fortunate for the success he’s had during these times but I was just blown away at this story.
 

SBMech

Fixes Broken Stuff
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Messages
11,627
Reaction score
20,783
Is this Arizona?

If so a friend is the former head of the state liquor board and I would be happy to see if she can help.

You and I have had various conversations in P&G with differences in opinion, and you are a target now more often than when your posts were educational before our politicians went rogue and pitted us all against each other.

I still respect the fact that you, outside of politics, are there to help us all as a member of the community of RDP.

Props man.
 

calkid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
616
Reaction score
998
I'm starting wonder if the state is trying to run all the small private owned bars out of business. All so they can open state owned bars so that they can control all liquor sells. It's a thought that keeps running thru my head

☝This!
 

just_floatin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
5,633
Reaction score
17,919
This is in AZ. I was commenting that it sounds a lot like California. The owner is a nice guy and he wasn’t complaining. I think he feels fortunate for the success he’s had during these times but I was just blown away at this story.
What is your friends business, location and name? Maybe our RDP community in proximity can help support his business. Is the pizza good?
 
Last edited:

Water Romper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
1,067
Reaction score
1,602
This is so wrong in so many ways. Restaurants, especially the mom and pops run lean as it is, then to do this is just BS. Hope the AZ peeps can get the word out and help
 

HB2Havasu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Messages
4,433
Reaction score
9,631
I’ve been saying since March 2020 that this disease will be used as a political tool for the largest transfer of wealth ever witnessed.

Bankrupting small businesses (ie: Mom & Pop restaurants for example) will enable large corporation food chains to move in and dominate the marketplace. It’s very sad what we are witnessing today. We all need to rise up!!!
 

Looking Glass

1 = Well = Known = Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
8,290
Reaction score
13,934
I’ve been saying since March 2020 that this disease will be used as a political tool for the largest transfer of wealth ever witnessed.

Bankrupting small businesses (ie: Mom & Pop restaurants for example) will enable large corporation food chains to move in and dominate the marketplace. It’s very sad what we are witnessing today. We all need to rise up!!!


I heard a Statement the other day = The fear of the State is much Greater than the Disease.

🤔
 

gqchris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
8,301
Reaction score
13,093
Fuck them. He needs to throw out his Point of Sale system and go back to pen and paper order taking. Cook the books. Fuck the state. Thats just so damn ridiculous.
 

RiverDave

In it to win it
Joined
Sep 13, 2007
Messages
123,232
Reaction score
150,642
I'm starting wonder if the state is trying to run all the small private owned bars out of business. All so they can open state owned bars so that they can control all liquor sells. It's a thought that keeps running thru my head

We are going to come back to this post in a year or two.
 
Top