BYOB Could Be Headed to DG Eateries

Two liquor-related issues up for a first read were closely scrutinized by the during its meeting Tuesday night.

Four businesses have requested that the village create a Class BYO license—which allows customers to bring their own beer and wine into a restaurant.

Customers would be limited to bringing in one bottle of wine per person, or three bottles of beer, said Village Attorney Enza Petrarca.

Commissioner Sean Durkin asked how you would control it if a group of four, five or six people walked into a restaurant, to which Petrarca said the restaurant would be responsible for managing that if it happened.

If the ordinance passed, it would be limited to the four businesses requesting it, and any additional restaurants interested in the license would have to request it from the village.

Petrarca said it was “our intent to start with the four and see how that goes.”

Commissioner Marilyn Schnell said it seemed like allowing people to bring one bottle per person seemed excessive, and commissioner William Waldack said he thought a recorking service was important to consider as well.

Mayor Martin Tully said when the businesses requested the license he thought about how other towns handled it.

“It’s not a new idea,” he said. “I think we’re doing it in a much more conservative fashion than many of our peers.”

The council will vote on the matter next week.

The other liquor-related issue discussed at the meeting was whether or not to allow to have full alcohol service on the premises. Currently, they are allowed to have on-site consumption of beer and wine only.

Waldack was wary of the idea.

“First Lemon Tree was a grocery store, then a restaurant, and now they want to be a full bar,” he said. “At some point you want to be able to take the kid shopping and not have alcohol everywhere you go.”

Petrarca said the liquor license was created specifically for the Lemon Tree Grocer.

Tully said he didn’t understand the hesitation voiced by various council members.

“We pride ourselves on being facilitators, not regulators,” he said. “The village needs to support businesses. Let’s face it, folks, it’s a very competitive environment,” he said. “Within reason, we ought to do what we can to facilitate that success.”

One resident commented on the matter: “Do you want to send your kid into a bar to buy a gallon of milk?”

Shaun Black, owner of the Lemon Tree Grocer, also took a turn at the podium.

“No real grocery store is going to survive in your downtown,” he said. “I can tell you that because I own one. Size is an issue—you can’t get the square footage of Whole Foods in the downtown area. If we don’t continue to be innovative, we’re going to go out of business.”

The council will vote on the matter next week.