Barriers are sought to hide booze from minors

Senate Republicans now are trying to stop alcoholic drinks from being poured in front of minors in restaurants, their latest attempt to thwart Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s plans to ease the state's liquor laws.

The governor said Monday he believes there will be progress toward his goal of making Utah more tourist-friendly, but acknowledged there likely will be trade-offs.

"The good news is that it's even being discussed in the first place, because it represents we're not maintaining the status quo," Huntsman said.

But that's exactly what Senate Republicans have said they want. The majority Senate GOP caucus has already opposed Huntsman's proposal to eliminate private club memberships.

On Wednesday, the Administrative Rules Committee will consider whether the existing barriers intended to separate restaurant customers from alcoholic drink preparations are enough — even though Huntsman has questioned their necessity.

"Restaurants are turning into bars," Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said. "It's making it look attractive. Kids see it and wonder what they're missing. I think we need to be a little more strict."

The issue of whether the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control needs to tighten its rules is also being raised before the committee by former Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, and the committee chairman, Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.

Waddoups said he'd like to see a physical barrier erected in restaurants blocking the view of alcohol or the preparation of drinks moved into a back room. "I just don't think the message we want to send is, 'Look at the pretty bottles,"' he said.

Currently, many restaurants have installed glass barriers between where drinks are mixed and the counters where customers are served. Customers cannot be served over the barriers; their food and drink orders have to be brought around the counters.

Waddoups said the barriers, often called "Zion curtains" because they are unique to Utah, aren't enough to protect minors. Valentine went further, saying the see-through barriers go beyond what the law allows.

That's not how the DABC sees it.

"We've certainly tried to stay within the law and enforce the law," said Earl Dorius, the department's regulatory director. He said the existing barriers have been used for "a long, long time."

Dorius declined to comment on the debate or on whether it was reasonable to expect restaurants, especially national chains designed with bar-like counters, to go along with moving mixing behind closed doors.

Huntsman, a one-time U.S. trade ambassador who negotiated agreements with foreign governments, said discussions with legislative leaders have yet to begin.

But the governor pointed out he's already succeeded in making other changes in the state's liquor laws, including increasing the amount of alcohol in most mixed drinks.

"We're seeing incremental progress," Huntsman said. "And I believe that incremental progress will continue."

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