Most Hanover businesses report little to no change in revenue since the College’s hard alcohol ban went into effect on March 28. Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said that though she expected of-age students to turn to town businesses instead of drinking hard liquor at fraternities, she has yet to hear of this happening from town businesses, adding, however, that she is more likely to hear from businesses during difficult times than when there is an uptick in sales.
Though she has not heard from any of the bars or restaurants in town, Griffin said that she expects an increasing number of students over 21 years of age to go out for drinks at local establishments, including Molly’s Restaurant and Murphy’s on the Green.
Griffin said that she is also apprehensive about a possible increase in attempts to obtain alcohol with fake identification, though bar owners could likely handle this issue should it arise.
“Hanover bar owners are pretty savvy with that sort of thing,” she said.
Griffin also said that it was too early to tell what the long-term effect of the hard alcohol ban will be on local businesses, since it has only been two months since the ban went into effect.
Murphy’s owner Nigel Leeming said that he has noticed little change at the restaurant.
“If there’s been an increase in sales, it’s only by a few percentage points,” Leeming said.
Leeming added, however, that he has seen a few new groups of of-age students coming in for cocktails since the ban was put into place. He said that it is difficult to track whether student drinking is increasing at the restaurant because the bar has always been popular with both undergraduate and graduate students. Leeming said that though the change has not been noticeable so far, he expects more students to come in for drinks as the hard alcohol ban continues.
Jack Stinson, owner of Stinson’s Village Store, said he has noticed a significant change in his store, which sells beer, wine and other soft-alcoholic drinks. He said that he has seen a massive increase of sales in ciders and spiked sugary drinks.
“Woodchuck [hard cider] has always been popular, but other ciders have usually been for those who keep gluten-free,” he said.
Stinson also said that drinks such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade have been selling a lot more since the ban went into effect, attributing the change to students’ desire for a more diverse selection of permitted drinks.
Stinson said that the sale of beer is harder to track because undergraduate and graduate students have always bought the beverage consistently.
“People will get a 12-pack for any Friday afternoon, so it’s hard to say if we’ve been selling more since the new rule,” he said.
James Van Kirk, owner of Candela tapas lounge, said that he has not seen an increase in students coming in for drinks at the Candela bar. Van Kirk attributed this to the small size of his bar, which only has eight seats.
Though the restaurant has always been popular among older undergraduates and graduate students for creative cocktails, he said that he originally suspected more underage students would attempt to buy drinks at the spot when he heard of the College’s hard alcohol ban.
“We’ve been really strict about IDs since then,” he said. “We ask for a lot every night because we’ve suspected underage students might try and get drinks.”
He also said, however, that he has not witnessed a significant change in younger students coming in for drinks since the ban. Van Kirk said that he does not think students are willing to pay the high price for his restaurant’s cocktails.
“My drinks go for eight, nine, 10 dollars,” he said. “Most students aren’t going to pay that to get buzzed.”
Vankirk added that he thought restaurants such as Molly’s and Salt Hill Pub might encounter the issue of underage students more often because they offer cheaper beers and wines.
Representatives for other Hanover businesses could not be reached for comment by press time.
