For drinkers, Utah has always been a mystery. Many visitors have the impression that the influence of the teetotaling Mormon Church means it is a dry state (it's not). Or, that they have to be members of private clubs in order to get a drink. (They don't.)
But Utah's restaurants have had to endure a law originally meant to make drinking less glamorous. That's all about the change, thanks to sweeping alcohol reform legislation that will tear down the Zion Curtain.
The curtain, whose name is a nod to the church's roots, is a seven-foot tall barrier that blocks patrons from seeing drinks being made.
According to the Associated Press, many restaurants have complied with the law by putting up frosted glass partitions between the dining room and the bar area. Alternatively, they prepare drinks in a back room, out of customers' view.
The original idea was to protect children from seeing drinks made, and to make restaurants focus on their main task of serving food. But, the Zion Curtain led to some strange layouts in establishments across the state -- and, some owners say it has cost them business.
Joel LaSalle, co-owner of Current Fish and Oyster in Salt Lake City, estimated that his steel and glass Zion Curtain has caused him to lose more than $16,000 a month in business since he opened in 2015.
Patrons simply don't want to sit behind the wall, he told the Salt Lake Tribune. "The loss of revenue for us is so big," he said, "we want to do away with it as soon as possible."
Under the new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Gary Herbert, restaurants will be able to take down their Zion Curtains beginning July 1 as long as they choose from a pair of alternatives.
They can create an adults-only zone that prevents minors from being seated within 10 feet of their bar. Or, they can seat minors five feet away if they erect some sort of barrier, like a railing or a shorter wall. The state hasn't yet figured out what a qualifying partition will look like, however.
Thus, officials in the state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) are warning restaurants that they shouldn't rush to remove their glass panels just yet.
"They can't just go in and tear them down," said Nina McDermott, the DABC's director of compliance, according to the Tribune.
She says the DABC will have to review a restaurant's plans to make sure that they comply with state law. "Making a change without approval, could result in fines or loss of a liquor license," McDermott said.
The law doesn't require owners to comply until 2022, but many restaurant owners are eager to part with their Zion Curtains as soon as they're allowed. The state is setting up an application system to get the inspections underway.
LaSalle, the Salt Lake City restaurant owner, says he's ready, since he designed his place in anticipation of the law's repeal. All he'll need to do to remove his Zion Curtain, he told the Tribune, is remove the glass and a few screws.
