THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605170072
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LAWRENCE MADDRY<
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
GIVEN A CHOICE, I'd take a Cue Thru over a Brew Thru every time. Especially if the barbecue drive-through was in North Carolina.
The best of all would be a Brew & Cue Thru. There are millions to be made on something like that in the Tar Heel State.
But is a drive-through convenience store - one that sells beer and wine along with T-shirts, pizza, soft drinks, coffee and other food items - right for Virginia Beach?
Yes or no, one is expected to open at 29th Street and Pacific Avenue on Wednesday, after receiving a license from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board a week ago.
The first of its kind in Hampton Roads, it has been opposed by the city of Virginia Beach and many civic groups.
The only Brew Thrus I've known were on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, they resemble car washes with colorful exteriors.
Based on that experience, I think they are OK. They're clean, they have friendly service, and they reward any employee who spots an underage youth using a fake ID card to get beer.
Those Brew Thrus on the Outer Banks seem to sell more Brew Thru T-shirts than beer. Vacationers enjoy the novelty of driving through to get beer or soft drinks. Customers have ridden in for their beer on the back of horses and in goat carts.
But opponents of the Brew Thru convenience store at the Beach argue that Pacific Avenue is congested during the summer months, a time when the demand for a Brew Thru would be greatest.
They sincerely believe the Brew Thru would add to the ranks of drunk drivers, particularly young ones. And they are right to be concerned.
A principal opponent of Brew Thrus has been Del. Glenn Croshaw, whose bill to outlaw the one in Virginia Beach passed the Virginia House but was tabled in the Senate.
Croshaw says: ``You can call it a Brew Thru; you can call it a drive-through convenience store. It's still a basic policy shift for the state in its effort to separate alcohol and automobiles.''
Is it? Convenience stores selling beer and wine can be found every few blocks - or so it seems - in Virginia Beach. An adult can purchase a six-pack of beer inside the convenience store, carry it to the car and split it with a minor.
That is less likely to happen at the Brew Thru store in Virginia Beach, which differs from those on the Outer Banks. Outer Banks Brew Thrus allow alcoholic purchases to be made while the purchaser is in the car.
No one riding a vehicle into the one at 29th Street and Pacific Avenue will be able to make a purchase of alcoholic beverages without getting out of the vehicle. The purchaser will then be required to go to a counter inside the building to buy beer or wine.
And it will differ from convenience stores. Clerks will be stationed near the driving lanes. If anyone in a vehicle that is to receive alcoholic beverages appears to be underage, they will be required to produce ID. This safeguard is missing at regular convenience stores.
As on the Outer Banks, clerks will carry alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic purchases to the vehicles.
If a customer drives into the Virginia Beach Brew Thru and desires to purchase a pizza, soft drink or anything non-alcoholic, those items can be purchased without leaving the vehicle. The driver rolls down the window, and a clerk takes the order, money and delivers the item.
It's difficult to see how a Brew Thru represents a policy shift from the traditional convenience store method of selling alcoholic beverages. But if there is a shift, it appears to be one in the right direction: toward more control.
Brew Thrus seem to have other advantages too. They require a degree of skilled driving to get through - possibly a deterrence to intoxicated drivers who want more booze. And, they are safer than most convenience stores after dark. A mother wanting to grab a quart of milk can drive through the brightly lit building with the kids and never have to leave the car.
Brew Thrus have been in Virginia for more than 10 years. There are two others in the state - one in Louisa County, the other in Farmville. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board says neither has been cited for any violations.
George S. Hazzis, president of Pinnacle Convenience, which owns the Virginia Beach Brew Thru, says the store will prominently display posters warning customers not to drink and drive inside the building.
Only time will tell whether about the new drive-through convenience store creates traffic problems. And some people say there are already too many ABC licensees in Virginia Beach. Maybe so.
But if we are talking about policy shift, it's hard to see what the brouhaha over the Brew Thru is about. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
The Brew Thru on 29th Street and Pacific Avenue in Virginia Beach is
set to open Wednesday.
by CNB