COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
DOCUMENTS RECEIVED
AFTER PUBLISHED AGENDA
eCOMMENTS RECEIVED
Public Comment
1 To the CEDC members: This email was received from the same member of the public referenced on page 3 of the staff report at the end of the “Summary of Outreach Efforts to Date” section who expressed opposition to any amendments to the current alcohol regulations. All references to “she” in her email are to herself. Staff sent her a copy of the staff report earlier this month, and she wrote this email in response after reading it.
Steve Kowalski
Associate Planner | DSD - Planning
City of Hayward
777 B St., 1st Floor | Hayward, CA 94541
510-583-4210 | [email protected]
From: Peggy Guernsey
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 4:57 PM
To: Steve Kowalski <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: staff report for alcoholic beverage ordinance update ideas This is great, thank you! BUT, You did not write that she would like it to STAY at 60/40 since there were no complaints, violations, or problems. She is ALSO asking that the subject be revisited in 3 years because of the same reasons.
Steve I feel this is very important as it shows "she" willing to keep open the subject and not unobjective. also, Steve, According to the web search I did of The Dirty Bird and as a former pool and dart player that frequented bars to play those games. The Dirty Bird is a "Lounge" NOT A RESTAURANT! His listed menu is all alcohol drinks and NOT food. He is NOT depending on food for his revenue, as The Black Angus, where I had my birthday celebration for DINNER. Their bar area has been converted into eating areas and only a few seats at the bar. Rue de Man used to be a French restaurant that had wine available. The Italian rest. that took it;s place has GREAT Italian FOOD and some alcohol available. The Bistro has micro beers, etc. and appetizers, small finger food not a dinner menu.
If a restaurant, a place that serves primarily food, would want people to come to their place for the great and/or unique food then 60% revenues from food is a win for them. 40% revenue is an added benefit to them.
Please add my added comment, I felt it was and still is important to my concerns. These comments also are important.
Sincerely,
Peggy Guernsey
1 Subject: FW: Hayward Alcohol Regulations Update - Public Meeting Thurs, Sept 22 @ 5 PM Importance: High
Hi Catherine & Paul,
Here's my perspective on this issue (I'm low on time so I wrote this quickly as a stream of consciousness):
As an operator of multiple types of hospitality venues, all with alcohol licenses, I may have a unique perspective on some of the positive and negative impacts of increased ABC licenses. From my perspective, having access to an ABC license is a privilege, not a right. With this in mind, I tend to lean towards allowing more licenses to be accessible to operators as long as there are sufficient ways to limit, suspend or terminate licenses by neglectful and irresponsible operators. This strategy allows everyone to be innocent until proven guilty while still having a strong sense of accountability.
I also think it's often helpful to have districts that emphasise density of licenses in order to create critical mass. Downtown commercial zones are great neighborhoods for increased density of license holders because parking and public transportation are often ample, and there's usually enough people living and working in the area to promote lunch, happy hour and dinner sales. In addition, having an area that's dense with ABC licenses allows public safety officials to focus on specific areas, instead of being spread out all over the city. In addition, having a critical mass of ABC licenses in a specific area can also reduce the risk of DUIs since patrons can easily walk from one establishment to another. Food focused establishments also often thrive in areas with higher concentrations of ABC licenses so the benefits can extend beyond the physical boundaries of the license holders.
That all being said, I think it's also important to identify the different types of establishments that benefit from serving alcoholic beverages. I've operated a variety of establishments ranging from dive bars to craft cocktail bars to family friendly beer gardens. Each of these types of establishments cater to different types of demographics which demonstrates the diversity of experience that patrons now have access to when it comes to alcohol sales. I think it's also important to note that families with children may not feel comfortable bringing their kids to a bar setting, but they're happy and excited to bring the entire family to places like neighborhood beer gardens. We've designed and operated over half a dozen beer garden concepts and all of them have dedicated followings with families because they provide a safe and casual environment that's fun for both kids and parents. Without an abundance of beers on tap and/or quality wine and cocktails, these venues wouldn't be nearly as attractive for families. Moms, Dads, etc often enjoy being able to have a nice adult beverage while their kids enjoy pizza or burgers with sodas or juices. Many of these venues also boast kids play areas or arcades which provide activities for the kids to enjoy while their parents or guardians are able to relax for a few minutes with a well crafted beverage.
Lastly, and ironically, having kids and families at venues with ABC licenses can often decrease the chances of overconsumption because adults who are looking to get highly intoxicated often don't want to be near children, so they don't 2 indulge as much, or they choose to spend their time and money at other establishments.
Thank you for considering my perspective on this issue, as well as for the service you provide to our extended community.
JOEL DiGIORGIO
Co-Founder
Farm League Restaurant Group www.farmleaguemgmt.com
Arthur Mac's www.arthurmacs.com