Liquor sales at Lambert could start earlier under plan

May 15--Before boarding an early-morning flight Monday to Cancun, Joanie Jones and her fiance, Bruce Smothers, wanted to kick off their vacation with a Bloody Mary at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

But they couldn't get one immediately at the Chili's restaurant near their gate because it was about 15 minutes before the 6 a.m. starting time set by Missouri law for selling liquor by the drink. That would change under a plan in the Legislature to allow booze to be sold at Lambert as early as 4.

Jones, 57, and Smothers, 58, both of Edwardsville, said they didn't mind the current restriction. But a few feet away at the bar, Kim Perry, 48, of Collinsville, who also tried unsuccessfully to buy a Bloody Mary before 6, liked the idea of an earlier start time for Lambert travelers just beginning their day. She contrasted their demeanor to the 3 a.m. closing-time scene in Soulard and some other areas of St. Louis. State law sets a 1:30 a.m. shutdown in most of the rest of Missouri.

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"The bottom line is, I see people at bars drinking until 3 in the morning and rowdy and crazy and dangerous," said Perry, who was waiting to fly with family members to Washington, D.C.

Darryl Jones, an official with the group that operates Lambert's restaurants and bars, said although the bill would allow airport liquor sales as early as 4, plans now call for a start time of 5 or 5:30 if it passes.

That might change, he said, if "we get a huge rush of passengers that come in at 4:30" because of future alterations in flight schedules.

As of now, he said, Chili's on the recently reopened C Concourse is the only establishment with a bar at Lambert that's open for food sales before the 6 a.m. starting time for alcoholic beverages. It opens at 4:30. If the bill passes, he said, it's likely that two other eateries with bars would open before 6 on each of two other concourses. Bars and restaurants at Lambert typically close by 10 p.m.

Jones, who is managing partner of D&D Concessions, said his firm and its joint venture associate, HMS Host Corp., decided to seek the legislative change after getting about 15 pre-6 a.m. requests for Bloody Marys on April 2. That was the day tornado-damaged Concourse C reopened after extensive renovations.

Among other airports surveyed Monday, the start time for serving alcoholic beverages is 6 a.m. at Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego, Los Angeles and Phoenix and 7 a.m. at Indianapolis and Philadelphia. There are no time limits on alcohol sales at bars past security checkpoints at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, but a city spokeswoman said few or none sell liquor 24 hours a day.

The Lambert drinking time change is among various provisions affecting local government added last month by a Senate committee to a House-passed bill on municipal tax boards. The measure is pending on the Senate floor.

The sponsor of the Senate bill, Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, said the airport provision would help it cater more to international travelers on differing timetables.

The same point was made by a Concourse C passenger interviewed early Monday.

"It's not always 4 in the morning" for every traveler, said Steve Brookshier, 28, of Enfield, Conn., a frequent traveler overseas. "They're not always coming from the Central time zone."

Other early-morning patrons at Chili's gave differing views on the pre-6 a.m. liquor proposal.

Jack Hodge, 66, of Chesterfield, said he didn't think he would order a drink that early.

"But that doesn't mean somebody else shouldn't have the opportunity to," he said.

Also supportive of the change were Adam and Danielle Theurer of Macon, Mo., who were waiting to fly to Mexico on their honeymoon.

"I'm not a big fan of governments regulating things one way or the other," said Adam Theurer, 27. "People have all different types of schedules, all different hours."

However, Wayne Edwards, 65, of Springfield, Ill., recommended against it.

"They're asking for trouble if they open that early; you're just going to have a continuation of the party the night before," he said.

Ordering a Bloody Mary just after 6 was Jeff Brewer, 45, of Palm Springs, Calif. Brewer, who sets up lighting for Broadway-type shows, was in St. Louis working at the Peabody Opera House for several days and wanted a drink before flying home after a long stretch on the job.

"I just got off work after 20 hours," he said.

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