One of the questions that came up in one of our many editorial conversations about the wet/dry issue is what new laws would mean for restaurants that allow customers to bring their own bottle of wine. Tony’s, Tukta Thai and other BYOB establishments in a dry area can opt out of becoming a private club, which would allow it to sell beer, wine and liquor, and instead let customers bring in their own.
I wondered if that would change if the neighborhood went wet? According to spokesperson Kevin Fenderson, who is helping to promote the wet/dry reformation, it will not affect restaurants that wish to remain BYOB.
A change from dry to wet might make it easier for them to sell booze, so they might start doing that and that would prevent them from allowing alcohol from the outside, he explains, but they will not have to change the way they do things.
He also noted that patrons of these types of restaurants often enjoy the freedom that BYOB affords them. That means some of our existing popular neighborhood restaurants might just decide to keep the status quo, ’cause we like it that way.