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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1995)
JeffHaller/DN Nick Reifschneider, a senior construction management major, and Nicole Coffey, a junior environmental studies major, break from late-night studying at Perkins, 48th and 0 streets. Perkins’ policy limits studying by June sopczyk Staff Reporter When Kendra Kohl went to Perkins last week, she wanted a quiet place to eat and study with her boyfriend. But as the couple was seated, Kohl was surprised at the comment their server made about the restaurant’s policy on studying. “He told us we had to have a $5 minimum order and we could only stay an hour,” Kohl, a sophomore in general studies, said. Kohl said the policy shocked her, and she and her boyfriend decided to study elsewhere. Studying at restaurants was noth ing new to Kohl. She said she had been studying at Perkins since she was in high school and was not aware of the policy. One reason Kohl said she could not understand the policy was that the restaurant was not busy. “It was about 8 or 9 p.m.,” she said. “It was late — after dinner, so the restaurant was only about a third or half full.” Darren Castados, manager at Perkins at 121 N. 48 St., said the restaurant’s policy toward students who study at night had been in effect for about a year. The policy states that they must spend a minimum of $4 and can only stay for an hour, he said. One reason for the policy was to be courteous to other guests at the res taurant, Castados said. “The policy is mainly for the stu dents who come in during the early evening,” he said. “It makes it hard for other guests to find a booth.” Castados said the enforcement of the policy depended on the number of customers in the restaurant and the management. “It depends on how busy we are and who’s working,” he said. “Some managers don’t have a problem with it as long as there are booths avail able.” Castados said that although he was required to enforce the policy, he did not agree with it. “I don’t think it’s fair that people can come in and drink coffee for four or five or six hours,” he said. “But students can come in and actu ally do something and can only stay an hour.” Sometimes, conflict over the policy occurs with students. “We’ve had people who can’t un derstand why we have it because we have people in here who just sit and drink coffee,” he said. “Management says ‘It’s not a library, it’s a restau rant’ but what library is open at 1 or 2 in the morning?” Fake ID crackdown yields mixed results By Brian Sharp Senior Reporter Capt. Jim Peschong says a po lice crackdown on fake IDs in the downtown-area bar scene is seeing results. But Troy Way, manager of the Hurricane, says minors have failed to get the message, and the prob lem continues. And Art Rigg, general manager of Guitars and Cadillacs, says more minors have been caught trying to enter his south Lincoln bar since the police crackdown began. Minors with fake IDs are a prob lem downtown bars have battled for years. Punishment for a mis take is the loss of a liquor license. The police crackdown is part of a program called “Badges in Bars.” The program, which started last fall, puts plainclothed Lincoln po lice officers in downtown bars, in part to watch for minors. Peschong said the program had significantly reduced the problem with underage and excess drinking in downtown-area bars. “Minors were pretty bold in try ing to present altered IDs or fake IDs,” Peschong said. “That has definitely been reduced. “We’re still catching some, don’t get me wrong. Everyone hasn’t totally backed off. I doubt we have turned everyone away.” Now, Peschong said he was con cerned that minors who had been turned away had simply gone to other bars the program doesn’t reach. Rigg said that held true at his bar, 5400 O St. He said he had confiscated three times the bar’s average of fake IDs since the pro gram started. The increase was first noticed about three months ago, he said. Policy is to take the ID and tell the person they can call the police if they want it back. Most of time, he said, the bar winds up adding an other altered license to its collec tion. Although Rigg said the influx of minors at his establishment had been substantial, several other managers of bars located through out Lincoln said they hadn’t seen a noticeable increase in fake IDs. The college crowd doesn’t ven ture much out of downtown, they said, and anyone who looks young really stands out. Reaction is mixed among bar managers in the downtown scene on whether the program is deliver ing on its promise. At Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St., manager Reg McMeen said the program received a lot of hype from police and the media when it first began, and the number of mi nors at the door had declined. Now, he said, the minors are coming back and police haven’t been in as much as expected. Way said at least 40 percent more fake IDs had been confis cated at the Hurricane since the program began. But Iguana’s co-owner Becky Smith said the program had been effective, though the number of minors trying to get in fluctu ated. In June, the department will study the positive and negative impacts of the program, Peschong said. Bar owners have to request the officers, he said. While some bar owners have requested officers more often, others haven’t re quested them at all. HOW TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS, (YOU CANT LIVE OFF PSYCH EXPERIMENTS ALONE.) ^ Buy pizza at closing time. Haggle for slices they’d otherwise just throw away. ^ Eat Ramen noodles. tj ^ Make friends with a Senior. Come June, they’ll be more than glad to give you their old Poly Sci books and couches. ^ Donate blood. Save a life and get a free lunch to boot. ^ Pick up a Citibank Classic card. There’s no annual fee.
