Oxford’s law allowing the sale of alcohol on certain Sundays has gotten mixed reviews from local restaurants. Alcoholic beverages are only allowed to be sold at restaurants on Sundays during Ole Miss football game weekends and holidays that fall on Sunday.
While operators prefer to offer their patrons a choice for alcohol, they do not all agree on the impact of profits. Adrian Dickey, an employee of Proud Larry’s, said the restaurant and bar stays busy on all Sundays whether or not alcohol is allowed to be sold. He feels, however, that alcohol sales definitely has a positive impact on profits due to consistent crowds on Sunday. “I absolutely think it attracts more customers than it would had we not been able to serve alcohol,” he said. “We do, however, have Sunday night bands from five to nine which contributes to the crowds.” Dickey attributed a drop in volume of customers on Sundays to fatigue from game day activities and customers that have class or work on Monday. He felt it made no difference to the volume of business on these certain Sundays. The Levee/Cellar is another local restaurant and bar open on Sundays that gives its customers the option to drink alcoholic beverages on the appropriate dates. Clinton Berry, a manager at the Levee/Cellar, had a different view on the impact of the sale of alcohol on the restaurant’s bottom line. “At a place like (the Levee), our sales are based around purchases of alcohol,” he said. “Coming here to eat a meal without a drink is unlikely. Therefore, the past two years, Sunday sales have barely broken even.” Old Venice Pizza Co. has taken advantage of Sunday alcohol sales, but manager Seth Kellum said while more business does come from alcohol sale, it doesn’t make a great impact on profits. “It doesn’t seem to make too much difference either way,” he said. “It’s nice to have the extra profit when we can do it.”
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