No more wait at bars

People who go for drinks at private clubs — read, bars — won't have to wait for membership applications to be approved before they're allowed to enjoy their beverages under a bill the Senate approved Monday night.

The bill passed the Senate in a 30-13 vote and now goes to Gov. Beverly Perdue for her signature, Lynn Bonner reports. The bill removes the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission's authority to require clubs adopt waiting periods for new members.

Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, tried to add a population limit to the proposal. He suggested making the measure apply only to counties with at least 150,000 people, and raising the bar to 160,000 people with the next census.

The concern is that restaurants in rural areas will face unfair competition, Berger said.
Restaurants must show that at least 30 percent of their income comes from selling food and no more than 70 percent comes from alcohol sales. Restaurants in rural areas may lost customers to clubs that don't have to meet that requirement for food sales, Berger said.

After some debate over what would be best for tourism, the amendment failed 20-23.

Correction: Post now includes accurate ratio of sales for restaurants.