Wednesday, August 7, 2013

You know a restaurant is going down when....

They get a Video Gaming machine!!!!

There is this great bar near my home.  I have written about it previously and they have great service, they are good with kids (during the day hours), they have good prices, they even have the ladies who work there, dress up in random outfits and costumes as their uniforms.  Besides having some of the best wings in town, they are perhaps the most popular bar in town.  There is a new problem though.

Back in late 2009, Illinois passed a law, which would allow bars and coffee shops to run video gambling machines.  While this did happen years ago, just now the places in Illinois are starting to install them.

While I could see them as a great way to bring in some extra revenue, I also see them as a way to hurt your business.  The afore-mentioned bar that I liked so much, now has the video gambling machines.  This means that while before they allowed children in, before 7 or so when it becomes a 21+ bar, now children can not go any where near the machines.  Meaning; if it is a small bar, then children are not longer allowed.  Is it a big deal?  Well, I think that it used to be a family friendly bar and now it is only for adults and no one will take their family there anymore.  Is the loss of customers made up by the few bucks they make from the gaming commission?

It even bugs me that a local coffee shop has the video gaming machine in it.  So, not only do they a deli and pastries, but then they have the whole place closed to anyone under 18, because it is a very small place and they have the video gaming machines.  Is it really needed?


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