New liquor laws jeopardize business at local movie theater
SEATTLE -- It's Thursday night at 21st and Union, and the place with the neon sign looks more like a daycare than a nighttime hotspot: the pitter-patter of tiny feet is sometimes louder than the music, while microbrews are mixed with sippy cups.
"What's so nice is we get to go out as a family," said Phoebe Anderson of Madison Valley. "There's tons of parents, there's tons of kids, and it's just a happy place to come after work, after daycare and relax."
Anderson and her son Arlo were among more than a dozen families at the Central Cinema Thursday night, where the sounds of "The Pink Panther" cartoon mingled with microbrews and cabernet competed with the clamor of kids' chatter.
"So much of what we do is family-oriented things," said Kevin Spitzer, co-owner of the Central Cinema, "so we were a little stunned."
Spitzer says he got a phone call last month from the Washington State Liquor Control Board notifying the theater it was in violation of a 2010 rule prohibiting minors from being inside theaters that serve alcohol. The cinema -- which has served the Central District for more than six years -- currently serves beer and wine, but recently applied for a change in license to be able to serve spirits and cocktails.
"There's a public safety concern," said Brian Smith, communications director with the state Liquor Control Board. "If you're an adult and if you purchased a couple of beers or a couple of drinks and took it into a dark theater, it's hard to be able to tell whether those are being passed off to a minor."
"It's not that dark. There are lighting requirements that are part of having a liquor license. Your waiter is keeping an eye on what they're bringing," said Spitzer. "If we cut out underage people we would survive, but it would sort of wreck who we are and our sort of soul and everything we've built up as our identity."
Spitzer -- who points out that there are family-friendly events and community gatherings at the cinema, in addition to films that cater to adults and more -- says alcohol sales bring in about 30 percent of their business. He is now working with the LCB to try to find a compromise to what he calls a "hastily-written law."
"We understand it's a predicament and we are talking with them," said Smith, who says about 10 other businesses in Washington state are facing similar issues with the change in laws.
"Yes, having 17-year olds in the dark can be a problem if there's no supervision, but that's really not the case in how we do things," Spitzer points out. "We have a pretty long track record of serving the public without any problems."
"What's so nice is we get to go out as a family," said Phoebe Anderson of Madison Valley. "There's tons of parents, there's tons of kids, and it's just a happy place to come after work, after daycare and relax."
Anderson and her son Arlo were among more than a dozen families at the Central Cinema Thursday night, where the sounds of "The Pink Panther" cartoon mingled with microbrews and cabernet competed with the clamor of kids' chatter.
"So much of what we do is family-oriented things," said Kevin Spitzer, co-owner of the Central Cinema, "so we were a little stunned."
Spitzer says he got a phone call last month from the Washington State Liquor Control Board notifying the theater it was in violation of a 2010 rule prohibiting minors from being inside theaters that serve alcohol. The cinema -- which has served the Central District for more than six years -- currently serves beer and wine, but recently applied for a change in license to be able to serve spirits and cocktails.
"There's a public safety concern," said Brian Smith, communications director with the state Liquor Control Board. "If you're an adult and if you purchased a couple of beers or a couple of drinks and took it into a dark theater, it's hard to be able to tell whether those are being passed off to a minor."
"It's not that dark. There are lighting requirements that are part of having a liquor license. Your waiter is keeping an eye on what they're bringing," said Spitzer. "If we cut out underage people we would survive, but it would sort of wreck who we are and our sort of soul and everything we've built up as our identity."
Spitzer -- who points out that there are family-friendly events and community gatherings at the cinema, in addition to films that cater to adults and more -- says alcohol sales bring in about 30 percent of their business. He is now working with the LCB to try to find a compromise to what he calls a "hastily-written law."
"We understand it's a predicament and we are talking with them," said Smith, who says about 10 other businesses in Washington state are facing similar issues with the change in laws.
"Yes, having 17-year olds in the dark can be a problem if there's no supervision, but that's really not the case in how we do things," Spitzer points out. "We have a pretty long track record of serving the public without any problems."
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