Should Metro Bars Stay Open Until 4 a.m.? (Minneapolis, Duluth: closing, live)

[knke0204]

Should Walgreens only stay open til 2 am? Same concept.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by west336

Word. Now people like me (casual drinker with a decently high tolerance) damn near fall asleep after drinking until 2 in the morning, but there are always those nights when I wish the party never stopped. But 3 or 3:30 seems like it would satisfy 99.5% of all party-goers, assuming 2:00 satisfies maybe 75% of party-goers (as witnessed by the 2 a.m. mini-riots at closing time) -- just as long as 1 a.m. NEVER happens again!!!

Yes, never 1am hopefully! When we have drinks at our house, the part sort of goes until about 2am or so and then fizzles, but then we sometimes like to go and get Mesa Pizza (really, it's a UM college student staple) or stay up for a little while longer. Certainly I think the same could apply for any bar. It could only really help business and I think it would also help thin out when people leave the bars so there's not a mad rush of drunks heading to the streets all at once.

[queenswake]

I don't know, is the population density there to support it? It may work downtown or at a couple of the bars around the U on Fri and Sat night but that's about it. I could see it being a better idea if the downtown casino goes through. That entire area would turn into a 24/7 type of place and the later bar hours would work.

I just think it works better in places where there are multiple things going on in an area. A standalone neighborhood bar would start getting empty after 2 I'd think. But with more 24/7 things open to stumble into or in areas where people are bar hopping it might work.

[west336]

Originally Posted by queenswake

I don't know, is the population density there to support it? It may work downtown or at a couple of the bars around the U on Fri and Sat night but that's about it. I could see it being a better idea if the downtown casino goes through. That entire area would turn into a 24/7 type of place and the later bar hours would work.

I just think it works better in places where there are multiple things going on in an area. A standalone neighborhood bar would start getting empty after 2 I'd think. But with more 24/7 things open to stumble into or in areas where people are bar hopping it might work.

Closing time is not a mandate, it's just the latest allowable open time. If a bar doesn't deem it financially feasible to be open until 3 a.m. they don't have to do so, just like the Sunday liquor law. Like the previous poster stated, it's just as important to keep everyone from leaving at once and prevent brawls and other trouble, in addition to providing more options for patrons.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by xandrex

Yes, never 1am hopefully! When we have drinks at our house, the part sort of goes until about 2am or so and then fizzles, but then we sometimes like to go and get Mesa Pizza (really, it's a UM college student staple) or stay up for a little while longer. Certainly I think the same could apply for any bar. It could only really help business and I think it would also help thin out when people leave the bars so there's not a mad rush of drunks heading to the streets all at once.

Great post.

[Beenaroundabit]

I'd be all for it if DUI enforcement was better/stricter. MN and WI seem to lag far behind any other state I've lived in as far as taking DUI's as seriously as they should.

How about....a single DUI conviction results in a driver license revocation of one year. Period. Without appeal. Then you can have bars open as late as you want, IMO.

[audadvnc]

How about baseball? I heard about a game last week that went on until 2:30 in the morning.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by Beenaroundabit

I'd be all for it if DUI enforcement was better/stricter. MN and WI seem to lag far behind any other state I've lived in as far as taking DUI's as seriously as they should.

How about....a single DUI conviction results in a driver license revocation of one year. Period. Without appeal. Then you can have bars open as late as you want, IMO.

I think that DUI enforcement in the State of Minnesota is just fine. I think it's the penalties that need to be stricter, like you said.

A single DUI results in a 1 year ban. Done. Good. Perfect. There's no reason to not have a super harsh penalty.

There are so many people out there who have DUI's like they are cavities.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree that this state's approach to DUIs is woefully inadequate. There was something in the paper recently about how they were trying to relax yet again the penalties for those who have had their licenses suspended or cars impounded (don't remember the details), with the idea being that those poor people had to be able to get to their jobs. Should have thought of that BEFORE they got behind the wheel or made plans to begin drinking. As long as the penalties are relatively minor, and for most don't involve more than a minor inconvenience, people will continue to drink and drive. I'm definitely in support of much harsher DUI penalties.

That said, in the meantime there are fewer people out driving in the middle of the night, so perhaps emptying more drunks on the street at such an hour would make it easier for police to spot and stop the drunks, and less people out and about in general and therefore potentially fewer innocent victims.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

That is another thing that would be far less of an issue if public transportation was improved and people continued to move away from a car-dependant culture.