Utahns are split over whether state liquor law should be changed to allow restaurants to begin serving liquor at noon, the start of the traditional lunch hour, the latest Deseret News/KSL poll shows.
This week lawmakers will likely consider a proposed change in the law, prompted by complaints from restaurateurs and patrons that a mixed drink or wine can't be purchased at restaurants until 1 p.m. each day. The 1 p.m. start of the serving of liquor misses the busiest lunch time - noon to 1 p.m. A Senate committee approved the bill Friday.In a survey conducted by pollster Dan Jones & Associates on Jan. 5-6, 41 percent of Utahns said they strongly or somewhat favor moving the start of the drinking day from 1 p.m. to noon. Forty-four percent oppose the change, and 15 percent either didn't know or didn't care, Jones found.
The Legislature is dealing with a number of liquor-related bills this year - none of them considered major changes to the large revamping of liquor law undertaken several years ago.
That large recodification came after a yearlong study with public hearings held throughout the state. At the time, some complained that it made little sense to move the starting time for liquor sales at restaurants up into the lunch period without moving it all the way to noon. But there were so many controversial changes to liquor law that year, supporters of the bill asked that it not be tinkered with by further amendments.
Unchanged in the new proposal is the requirement that food must be purchased with the liquor - you still couldn't walk into a restaurant and just order a drink without eating also.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has, on occasion, taken official positions on what it considers moral issues before the Legislature, including liquor law. Church spokesman Don LeFevre said Friday, however, that the church has no position on the lunch-hour drinking law change.
While the overall responses to the poll are mixed, Jones found that those who said they're members of the LDS Church oppose the change, 53 percent to 31 percent. The majority of those who said they're members of other religions favor the change, Jones found.
Fifty percent of Republicans oppose the change, Jones found, while 55 percent of Democrats favor it. Political independents were split, 43 percent opposing the change, 40 percent in favor of it.
Deseret News/KSL poll
Currently, state law allows alcoholic drinks to be served with restaurant meals starting at 1 p.m. Lawmakerswill consider a proposal to move that drinking time to noon to allow drinks during th traditional lunch hours. Do you favor or oppose moving the time from 1 to noon?
Favor 41%
Oppose 44%
Don't know 15%
Number polled: 602, error margin: +/-4 percent.
Conducted Jan. 5-6, 1993. Dan Jones and Associates. Copyright Deseret News.