The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursday, September 5, 1991 - Page 9
BARS"
Continued from page 8
the border is almost tantamount to
a 21st birthday. Not that you have
to drink, but choice is again a key
concept. But be careful - never drink
0 and drive, and be nice to the border
patrol. Vehicles are routinely
searched, and the border guards are
experts at assuring sobriety before
returning to the States.
Oh? None of this matters because
you have a fake I.D.? Well, think
twice. Ann Arbor is well, into a
crack-down on underage drinking
and false identifications, as the in-
crease in many bar admittance ages
attests to. Horror stories abound on
campus of fakes relinquished to
bouncers and convenience store
clerks. Although consequences are
most often limited to confiscation
of the bogus I.D. and resultant em-
barrassment, using a fake can mean
hefty fines and a court appearance.
Each of the establishments men-
tioned above, and an almost infinite
multitude of others which could
not be given justice in the scope of
this article, have their own charac-
ter, personality, and style. This di-
versity is the essence of Ann Arbor
and the college experience in gen-
eral. At a large university like this
one, it is easy to find a clique and be
comfortable to stay in it. However,
most students find it rewarding to
discover new people, places, and
ideas in order to have an enriching,
enlightening, and fulfilling campus
life - in addition to a hell of a good
time! But don't take my word for it,
discover for yourself.
DELIS
Continued form page 5
Is this how you would place an
order: "I'll have the brisket, kre-
plach soup and a double cappucino"?
But if you don't mind the coffee
house atmosphere, Amer's food is
So many bouncers, so few IDs
by Tami Pollak
Daily Staff Reporter
By the time most first-year stu-
dents read this, they will have al-
ready begun a three-year struggle to
acquire a fake I.D.
And while most will fail in
their attempt to hoodwink bouncers
at campus-area bars, their pursuit
nevertheless clearly indicates a lack
of alcohol-free alternatives to an
evening at the bar.
"I think I miss it most because I
was able to hang out at the bars
when I was 19, and then it was taken
away," said LSA senior Laurie Frey.
At the beginning of last year's
fall term,.many area bars changed
their entrance policies, admitting
only those patrons ages 21 and over
for evening programming. It was
not the law but the iiidividual Ann
Arbor bar owners that made the
policy changes, however.
"The Michigan Liquor Control
Commission (LCC) only requires
that patrons be at least 18-years-old
to patronize a bar," said a LCC en-
forcement officer.
Rick Buhr, a manager at Good
Time Charley's, said the owner de-
cided to raise the bar's entrance age
from 19 to 21 last year because of
law-enforcement problems.
"Sure, insurance rates were a
consideration, but we chose to
change our policy because it's really
the only way we can control what is
going on in the crowd," Buhr said.
The fact that Charley's is also a
full service restaurant until 9:30
p.m. often invites thirsty minors to
devise elaborate schemes to blend in
with the late-night bar goers, but
Buhr said their plans are easily
foiled.
"Beginning at 8 p.m., staff goes
around and checks and stamps all the
customers, and then at 10 p.m., we
announce that anyone under 21 must
leave and then we sweep the
crowd," Buhr said.
And while it seems in terms of,
sheer volume, the more rigid age re-
strictions would have reduced
crowds, Buhr said business has in
fact increased.
A bartender at Rick's American
Cafe agreed business was not af-
fected by the 21-year-old policy,
adding that "even if 18 and 19-year
olds packed the house on otherwise
slow nights," bar profits w6uld
fall due to lessened of alcohol sales.
The Blind Pig, perhaps the most
popular bar with the underage
crowd because of its cutting-edge
bands and prevailing 19-and-up pol-
Jcy, compensates for lost alcohol
revenue by raising cover for patrons
under-21.
Sean Squire, a bartender at the
Pig, said owners decided not to jump
on the restricted age bandwagon, be-
cause they have never had any prob-
lems with enforcing alcohol laws.
However, he added that the bar's
programming is beginning to turn
more and more toward a dance/DJ
format because of the high costs of
live bands.
With or without entertainment,
however, Frey maintained bars pre-
sent one of the most attractive so-
cial scenes on campus.
"The policies don't stop anyone
who wants to drink from drinking,"
Frey said. "All the policies succeed
at is making the social situation
around here more difficult."
What lurks behind these doors? Rumor has it great bands and good
drink specials, but better ask someone who's 21 just to be sure.
quite good and every bit as satisfy-
ing as that of Zingerman's.
Amer's does not have quite the
selection of its main competitor,
but in many respects both of their
menus are identical, even in price.
Like Zingerman's, Amer's flowery,
cutesy menu has the readability of a
Rorscach test. Customers scanning
the menu have been known to con-
fuse a turkey and swiss with a giant,
killer spider.
But despite its pretensions, we
highly recommend Amer's. It offers
nearly the same food as Zingerman's
at a similar level of quality. Most
importantly, it is an easy walk from
anywhere on campus.
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