Businessmen: No a.m. sales is staggering
Mayor disagrees, claims ban on alcohol sales would help economy

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Two local entrepreneurs with thoughts of opening their own downtown restaurants have mixed opinions about what the March 28 referendum will do to their plans.

For many, there's more at stake that day when voters get to decide whether to ban the sale of alcohol within city limits before noon than the health of the community's residents and visitors. They'll tell you it's also a matter of the community's economic future.

Proponents expect a pre-noon ban to cut down on the number of intoxicated people who wander the city's streets every day. Having fewer drunks for people to navigate around raises the hope that more shoppers will take their place.

Some opponents fear the ban will do just the opposite for the local economy, driving away not only customers, but also business owners.

Sammy Chioda has been giving serious thought to opening his first restaurant/pub downtown.

It was too soon, he said, to talk about exactly what sort of a "restaurant/pub environment" he had in mind or precisely where he would put it. But if pre-noon alcohol sales were to end, he said, his plans would probably go with them.

In addition to a sit-down restaurant that would serve drinks with meals, Chioda has in mind a place people could go to watch a game on TV and share a few drinks. But weekend football games, for example, often start before noon, he said, "and by that time, people are already going to decide what they're going to do."

So if they're planning on having a few drinks during the game, he sees no reason for them to go to a pub that doesn't serve alcohol before noon.

License to disagree
It wouldn't be the bulk of his business, of course, Chioda said. But with liquor licenses going for well over $200,000, a ban on pre-noon sales would be enough to make him reconsider.

"We're looking to do something to revitalize downtown, and we're looking for support rather than a hindrance," he said.

Chioda said a ban could affect businesses throughout Gallup, especially during events like the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial when they're counting on big numbers from visitors.

"I think it would really hamper things like that," he said. "Economically, this could be a major disaster for this community."

'Marginal' impact
Mayor Bob Rosebrough, who said he would vote for the ban, isn't buying it.

Like most of those who attended a three-day town hall meeting late last year to help set a course for Gallup's future, he believes that more entertainment venues downtown that serve alcohol could play an important role in reviving both the neighborhood and the city. But he called the argument that a pre-noon ban would make or break a business a "red herring."

"The amount of liquor sales that would take place before noon is marginal," he said.

Angela Chavez is surely hoping he's right. She and husband Ramon run Angela's Cafe con Leche at the Gallup Multicultural Center.

They're thinking of opening a restaurant downtown that would serve beer and wine with lunch and dinner. She said a pre-noon ban would probably cut into their revenue a little, but not enough to change their minds.

"If I can't serve alcohol until noon, I don't think it will be that much of a hindrance," she said.

If a pre-noon ban doesn't devastate the local economy, it will at the least, she said, create a major inconvenience for shoppers, who might occasionally have to postpone their shopping or make multiple trips to the store just to enjoy a bottle of wine with a home-cooked meal.

Besides that, she doubts it would do much, if anything, to keep the inebriated from staggering through the city's streets.

Opportunists
If alcoholics aren't staggering through the city's streets before noon, she said, "I think they'll just stagger around at a later time. If they need their fix, they'll just get their fix at a later time. I just don't think it's going to make that much difference."

"They're going after the wrong people with that referendum," Chioda agreed.

One thing the city ought to do instead, he suggested, was get tougher on DWI offenders.

The officers of the Gallup Alcohol Action Team, the non-profit that collected the signatures to bring about the referendum, admit that a pre-noon ban will be no panacea for the community's troubles with alcohol abuse and unscrupulous liquor dealers. But they believe it's an important and necessary first step.

The group knows there are at least 571 Gallup residents out there who agree with them. That's how many valid signatures it collected for its petition. The Action Team is sure there are even more.

They'll all find out March 28.

The referendum will ask voters two questions: whether they want a pre-noon ban on alcohol sales by the drink, and whether they want a pre-noon ban on package sales.