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The fear that doing away with club membership fees would spawn drunken revelries or other public dangers so far has not become a reality.
That's because alcohol sales at bars have declined since July 1, when clubs no longer were required to charge fees or ask patrons to fill out applications before they could buy a drink.
What did go up? Food sales.
State regulators attribute the decline in bar sales to the depressed economy; club owners say the figures show that patrons are drinking responsibly.
Club liquor sales went down by $243,000 -- a 9.2 percent decline -- from July through August when compared with the same period last year. Those numbers run contrary to what happened at state-controlled liquor stores. Overall alcohol sales have climbed by $1.3 million for a 3 percent increase during the same two-month comparison, according to a report by the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
"The numbers show that people are buying bottles of liquor and taking them home rather than going out to drink," said John Freeman, the department's deputy director. "People also are buying as much or more alcohol, and they're buying cheaper brands."
The decline in alcohol sales at clubs has not lessened public safety concerns for Art Brown, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Utah chapter. Brown had lobbied against dropping fees, saying it would be easier to get a drink. That, he said, would be akin to "helping someone
"It's just too early to draw any conclusions about the decline," said Brown of the report. "It could be the economy; it could be any number of things."
Dave Morris, owner of Piper Down in Salt Lake City, said the club sales report shows that fees were not a deterrent to overconsumption. Earlier this year, Morris had predicted that without fees, bars would attract more diners, not drinkers.
He said alcohol sales at Piper Down have been flat since July when compared with last year's period. But food receipts have increased by more than $16,000.
"My gut feelings were right," he said. "I knew I'd attract more diners if they didn't have to pay a fee just to get in the door."
Patron Jim Doyle, 48, said his favorite noontime meal at Piper Down is the $8 grilled sandwich loaded with smoked bacon, avocado, cheddar and Swiss cheeses on sourdough bread.
"It's something I can't get anywhere else," he said.
Businessman Jesse McLeod, 42, who had just ordered another burger with fried pickles, said he prefers bringing clients to public bars "because it's a much more relaxed atmosphere to do business."
At Lumpy's in downtown Salt Lake City, manager Rob Vaughan said he's noticed that more people are bar hopping since clubs stopped charging fees.
"We definitely have more foot traffic now," he said. "Customers will drink less when they're planning to walk to another bar. When they stay at one place, they're much more likely to pound down drinks. "
Lumpy's, along with 256 other establishments that serve a full range of alcohol, relinquished its private club license to operate as an open public bar at its two locations, 145 Pierpont Ave. and 3000 Highland Drive in Salt Lake City.
Overall, liquor sales this fiscal year totaled $267 million, up from $257 million for 2008. The state's liquor monopoly, which controls the sale and distribution of alcohol in Utah, also brought nearly $100 million in taxes to state and local coffers.
