bars - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T13:15:10Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/barsBoca Raton: Owners of after-hours bars say Boca’s 2 a.m. alcohol cutoff will hurt businesshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-owners-of-after-hours-bars-say-boca-s-2-a-m-alcohol-cu2017-03-29T17:06:36.000Z2017-03-29T17:06:36.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Sallie James</strong><br /><br /> When most city bars and restaurants are shutting down for the night, the after-hours crowd at Nippers and the Blue Martini is just starting to drift in. <br /> But the last call for alcohol may get moved up, and the owners of these bars say the change would put them out of business.<br />City Council members at their March 28 meeting introduced an ordinance prohibiting businesses from serving alcohol after 2 a.m. The change only affects bars in the once-unincorporated Town Center area that were previously allowed to stay open until 5 a.m. Nippers and the Blue Martini Lounge are in the crosshairs.<br /> “I will be shutting down. It will put me out of business,” said Nippers owner Carlos Ber, who owns the 30-year-old watering hole at 21069 Military Trail. “I serve food here until 4:30 a.m. This is where everybody comes to unwind.”<br /> Bruce Gregory, general manager of Blue Martini, echoed Ber’s concerns.<br /> “If we were to lose those three hours, it would be catastrophic to our business,” Gregory said. “If there is anything we can do to make the situation better . . . we are all supporting it.” Council members did not discuss the ordinance, which will be further reviewed at a later date.<br /> The city generally prohibits the sale of alcohol between 2 and 7 a.m. However, when the Town Center area was annexed in 2003, city officials agreed to grandfather in existing businesses that served alcohol under county rules until 5 a.m.<br /> Ber said Nippers gets 75 percent of its business from customers who arrive between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.<br /> Most of Ber’s clientele are bar and restaurant employees who frequent his business when they get off work.<br /> Nippers has a staff of about 17 and a maximum capacity of 175. Ber said occasional fights break out, but nothing serious.<br /> “I have called the police four times in the past few years. Nothing big,” Ber said.<br /> Mayor Susan Haynie proposed the ordinance.<br /> “Some of the residents, especially out in the Via Verde area, have been speaking with me with concerns regarding a couple of establishments that ... have alcohol sales well into the morning hours,” Haynie said at the council’s Feb. 27 workshop. <br /> The new ordinance, if approved, would give businesses 120 days to comply.</p></div>