Residents and students of legal drinking age in the Town of Elon may soon get to order liquor at bars and restaurants closer to home.
On Nov. 8, a referendum will determine whether the sale of liquor by the drink will be permitted within town limits, a motion that would no longer require liquor consumers to make their purchases in Burlington, Gibsonville and other neighboring municipalities.
The Town of Elon Board of Aldermen discussed the measure in July, eventually deciding to put a referendum on the upcoming ballot.
Peter Ustach, general manager of The Fat Frogg, said he and restaurant owner Jeff MacKenzie approached the board last year about the process of the town obtaining a liquor by the drink permit.
"The whole point in having liquor isn't because we're trying to get college students drunk," Ustach said. "The goal is to try to bring more business into Elon that's otherwise going to Burlington. People like going to college towns."
Ustach said The Fat Frogg receives patronage from many local residents who have no affiliation with the university. On a typical summer weekend when the majority of Elon students are not on campus, Ustach said 200 to 300 locals fill The Fat Frogg on Friday and Saturday nights.
In order to include the referendum in this year's election, the Board of Elections required the aldermen to make a decision by the end of July, said Town Manager Mike Dula.
North Carolina ABC regulations prohibit such an election to take place on a presidential election day. If the board had not made a decision in July to include the referendum on this fall's ballot, the liquor by the drink vote would have been deferred until November 2013 at the earliest.
If the vote were to pass by a simple majority this fall, the Town of Elon would receive revenue from sales tax on liquor and a portion of the actual sale of mixed drinks that would be sold. Recent changes to the ABC laws indicate that the town would not need to have its own ABC package store to approve the dispensing of liquor by the drink, Dula said.
At a July 5 agenda-setting meeting, Dula said from what he understood, the revenue from liquor sales was "not a lot and not at first," though the town would eventually see additional funds come in. Dula said Mebane brings in approximately $40,000 from annual liquor sales.
The passing of the referendum would present new opportunities and allow for menu expansion at existing bars in Elon, such as The Fat Frogg.
Ustach has been in contact with West End Station owner Josh Ezrine and said the two businesses are hoping for the measure to pass. Ustach is already planning for bartenders to review serving and ID checking practices.
"We don't want to have any liquor specials that would cause problems for students," he said. "We're not going to be stupid about it. We're not going to have a $1 shot night."
From Ustach's understanding, if the liquor by the drink measure passes, no changes will go into affect until 2012.