![]() Allowing booze in restaurants could have an impact on public safety and prompt more instances of drunk driving, public urination and disorderly conduct, they said. The idea of a dry town is intrinsic to out-of-towners’ view of the city, the organizers said. coming in through some backdoor thing and trying to do stuff behind people’s backs trying to circumvent the law.” “Just like Bill was saying, we hired more people. Paul Stryker, owner of Arlene’s and Arlene’s Dinner Club, also happened to be in attendance and stood up to defend the practice.Īrlene’s was a breakfast-and-lunch joint prior and only started the dinner club because customers asked them to, Stryker said. He’s working within the bounds of the law and keeps people employed during the offseason, he said. She was worried the practice could make the city seem inhospitable to tourists.īill McGinnity, owner of Cousin’s, which opened in 1980, and Cousin’s Dinner Club, which started in October 2018, stood up to offer his side as an operator. She went down the street to Arlene’s on Asbury and couldn’t get a table there either. One woman recounted going to Cousin’s Restaurant & Catering and being turned away because it was members only for the night. “But it’s the old thing: How do you boil a frog? You put it in cold water and you turn it up one degree at a time.” “You can say what are eight, 10, 12 restaurants, whatever,” David Hayes said. They would need 15% of the total number of votes cast in the last Assembly election, or 612 signatures, they said. The organizers of the opposition group want to keep the pressure on Council at meetings and have started a petition for a referendum that could revise the municipal code and ban the practice except at nonprofit locales such as the VFW. “No, but it will be on the books,” Hayes said. “Is it on the books yet?” McCrosson asked. “I have an ordinance for you,” said David Hayes, 65. “I’ve gone through (the Alcoholic Beverage Control Handbook) too, trying to figure out: Are these legal or not? That’s part of my job.”Īn organizer, Hayes’ husband David, cut in. “I don’t think you can point to an ordinance,” McCrosson said. The state allows for members-only dinner clubs unless a city specifies otherwise, she said. The debate became understandably heated, since the issue is central to the identity of the city, which was founded by Methodist ministers and banned booze in 1909.Ĭity Solicitor Dottie McCrosson pushed back against organizer Marie Hayes’ claim that the city was failing to uphold the law. Some 60 people packed into the room for the meeting, including proponents of the dinner club workaround and owners of dinner clubs. But under existing state and local law, the city has no jurisdiction over what takes place on private property.” “Ocean City police are aware of the trend and have issued summonses to some ‘private clubs’ openly violating these ordinances. “There has been no change to the longstanding ordinances that prohibit the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places,” Gillian said in a statement. The distinctive, pink restaurant occupies the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue.Battle for the Skies: Ocean City Turns to Birds of Prey to Combat ‘Aggressive’ Seagulls ![]() “We’re just trying to keep the old girl going,” Bob Boyer joked. The Boyers bought the family-style restaurant in 2014 and have kept its nostalgic touches and décor intact. Unbelievable!” exclaimed Michele Gillian, who serves as the Chamber of Commerce’s executive director.īob Boyer thanked city officials, the Chamber of Commerce and the Chatterbox employees for all of their support over the years. ![]() ![]() The Boyers are joined by Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Carol Heenan, the Chamber president, and Mayor Jay Gillian. The Boyers served up a super-sized anniversary cake – with pink icing, of course, to match the building’s color scheme – to their customers, Chatterbox employees and several dignitaries led by Mayor Jay Gillian, his wife, Michele, and Carol Heenan, president of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chatterbox owners Bob and Maria Boyer light the candles on the 80th anniversary cake.īob and Maria Boyer, the owners of the Chatterbox Restaurant, threw a bash Friday to celebrate the 80 th anniversary of their iconic, pink-hued eatery at the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue in downtown Ocean City. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |