NAMPA -- Nampa bar and restaurant owners are rejoicing after city leaders voted to lift a ban on hard liquor sales. Right now, the city only allows beer and wine to be served on Sundays, but Monday night the city overturned its own law.
Dustan Bristol owns Brick 29Bistro. He says the hard liquor law not only hurts his weekend business but also the space he has for catering special events.
“I have lost weddings to it. I've lost class reunions that wanted to have mixed cocktails. I've lost birthdays parties,” Bristol said.
Things will change, though. Monday, Nampa council members voted to lift the Sunday no-liquor ban. Councilman Curtis Homer called the ban inconsistent. State liquor stores can sell whatever they want on Sundays: beer, wine and even hard liquor.
"So it's kind of a double standard to me to tell a restaurant the state can sell it in a liquor store but you can't sell it by the drink in your bar or your restaurant," Homer said.
The city's economic development office agreed and said getting rid of the ban is a good thing.
“I feel that it's a huge victory for Nampa,” Bristol said.
He is happy to see the city of Nampa change course. He says in the end, the extra money from Sunday hard liquor sales will also go to city hall.
"I'm a small business owner and everybody feels a little pinch in a recession and while we make things more efficient we also want to capitalize on what we can do and we are currently losing 52 days a year of sales where we could capitalize on," said Bristol.
The vote on lifting the Sunday ban was 2 to 2. Mayor Tom Dale broke the tie. Council members who voted against it said they feel drinking leads to domestic violence and DUIs.
The city attorney is to draft the new law that allows for Sunday liquor sales. That law will have to be approved by the city council again before it becomes official. So, until that happens its still only beer and wine on Sundays in Nampa.
