It was early Tuesday afternoon when bartender Ramona Arceneaux pondered aloud whether patrons at TJ’s Lounge on Plank Road—north of metro airport—would be agreeable to the watering hole opening on Sundays.
The patrons’ replies were loud, emphatic, unprintable and in confirmation that they’d belly up to the bar this Sunday if they could.
“They go to other places, across the river, that are open,” Arceneaux says of her patrons’ Sunday rituals.
Councilwoman Alison Gary says the fact that East Baton Rouge Parish is surrounded by parishes where alcohol rules are relaxed on Sundays is part of the reason why she introduced an amendment to the Metro Council last month that would strip restrictions on bars opening and alcohol being sold before 11 a.m. on Sundays. Currently, restaurants can get permission to sell liquor and beer on Sundays if more than half of gross sales are from food or nonalcoholic products.
“I just don’t think that it’s the government’s responsibility to keep us in line,” she says.
David Remmetter, owner of Chelsea’s Café, Cuban Liqour and co-owner of Radio Bar, says he chooses not to open Perkins Road overpass restaurant and bar Chelsea’s on Sundays, but that the Radio Bar on Government Street is another matter.
“We are forced to close on Sunday, and I don’t like it. I still have to pay my rent; I still have to pay my utilities. I don’t like any governmental body telling me when I can and can’t open,” says Remmetter, adding the city-parish made a wise move several years ago to increase revenue by repealing a ban on Sunday retail liquor sales.
Gary, who is not seeking re-election in District 11, says she has thought about the city-parish’s uneven alcohol rules for a long time before introducing the amendment.
“I’m not doing it just because it’s an inconvenience to me,” Gary says, noting it’s an inconvenience to retailers and business owners.
After introducing the amendment, Gary says she got several calls and emails from bar and restaurant owners—including Remmetter—supporting her decision.
“I would like to open on Sundays,” says Tammy Push, manager of Pete’s Tavern on Florida Boulevard, east of O’Neal Lane.
Among opponents to the alcohol amendment is Councilwoman Tara Wicker. She says many residents of District 10 view the Sunday bar closure as relief from the crime and violence that can erupt in and around drinking establishments.
“People are trapped in their homes,” Wicker says.
Metro Council candidate Larry Selders, who is again challenging Wicker after losing to her by six votes in 2008, says he’s in favor of the alcohol amendment.
“You should be able to make an adult decision,” Selders says.
Gary says she doesn’t see how regulating bars one day a week makes much sense when they are open six other days. She concedes, however, that she doesn’t live in a community that is affected negatively by bars and drinking.
The Metro Council is set to take up the issue on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
