Sunday Booze: Liquor Sales May Soon Start At 8 A.M. In Village

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Local restaurants can sell alcohol beginning at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, but sales at that time are not allowed on Sundays. Following feedback from a number of restaurants that specialize in brunches on Sundays, the Arlington Heights Village Board is considering a change to liquor codes.

Currently, the Village has three classifications for establishments designated as restaurants — A, AA and E. Restaurants can't start liquor sales on Sunday until 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. depending on the liquor classification.

At Monday's meeting, the trustees reached a consensus to modify the liquor code. Next, Village staff will prepare an ordinance for the Board’s consideration at a future Village Board meeting.

The move comes following feedback and inquiries from a number of local businesses, including Scratchboard Kitchen, Egg Harbor Café, Honey Jam Café, Hey Nonny and a former breakfast/lunch restaurant in the Northpoint Shopping Center.

Egg Harbor provided the board data that Sundays are their busiest days of the week and on average represents more than 24 percent of their weekly sales. As they open at 7 a.m., it is problematic that they can’t sell an alcoholic beverage until 11 a.m., when only a few hours are left in their business day. Egg Harbor, according to the meeting's agenda packet, also said they have a total of 16 locations in the Chicago area, and 11 of those do not have any restrictions within their hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. They would prefer a 7 a.m. ability to serve on Sunday, but said they would be grateful for any improvement to the current 11 a.m. restriction.

Scratchboard Kitchen currently opens at 8 a.m. and requested liquor sales to begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The owner, according to the agenda, said that they have guests requesting to have an alcoholic beverage prior to their 11 a.m. allowed hours. In addition to accommodating their customers, they believe they would also be more marketable for special events such as wedding showers and special celebrations.

The Village Board obtained liquor sales start times on Sundays from 21 neighboring municipalities in considering the change. The start times for those broke down to the following:

• 5 a.m. — 1 restaurant
• 6 a.m. — 5 restaurants
• 7 a.m. — 4 restaurants
• 8 a.m. — 2 restaurants
• 9 a.m. — 3 restaurants
• 10 a.m. — 4 restaurants
• 10:30 a.m. — 1 restaurant
• anytime — 1 restaurant

"I've never been to a restaurant in the morning where I've seen someone out of hand," Trustee John Scaletta said. "I think that people go to brunch on a Sunday and generally, they might be meeting with friends, or celebrating a birthday or a baptism, and all they want is to be able to share a mimosa with somebody or have a bloody mary. I don't think it's asking too much that we permit people to be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage on Sunday morning as they would legally be able to do on a Saturday morning, or a Friday morning, or a Thursday morning."