Utahns haven't been drinking more in bars and clubs since the state abandoned its private club law last year, but tourism officials say they have seen big benefits in booking convention business.

Opponents of the change warned the new rules would increase access to liquor, leading to more consumption. That doesn't seem to have been the case.

Alcohol consumption at bars and clubs rose by 1 percent in the year since the state did away with its requirement that bar patrons buy a membership to the private club.

"Since the private club has gone away, the world hasn't ended and all our children haven't turned into delinquents … but everything feels a little more normal," said David Morris, owner of the Piper Down pub in Salt Lake City.

In the year since the new law took effect, the state's Department of Alcohol Beverage Control sold $16 million worth of full-strength beer, wine and liquor to bars and clubs in Utah.

That is up from $15.8 million the year before and down from $17.6 million in the year before that.

That is well below the 4 percent increase that the state's DABC-run liquor stores have seen over the same period.

The figures do not reflect sales of beer with 3.2 percent alcohol, which DABC does not handle.

"The economy is down, people are drowning their sorrows, but I think you see there is more home drinking going on now," Morris said.

He said overall business at his bar fell by 7 percent since July 2009, when the private club law took effect, with people buying cheaper drinks on special or drinking at home before going to the bar. But food sales have been stronger since the law changed, which he said is a result of the banishment of private clubs.

"It used to be to 'buy my amazing Irish burger,' which cost you like $7, it cost you an additional $5 just to get in, so you're talking a $12 burger," he said. "Now people feel more free to just wander in."

While the change in the state's private club law hasn't made a big difference in people imbibing, it has provided a major boost to the state's tourism industry, said Scott Beck, president of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Shortly after the law took effect last year, Salt Lake hosted 3,000 event organizers.

"Since that time … we have secured three large conventions because the meeting planner heard and experienced on a subsequent visit that it was possible to get a drink in Salt Lake," Beck said.

He said he believes that for one recently announced, very large convention in particular, the factor that "pushed it over the edge" was the change in the liquor laws.

"I think the overall tourism message is that Utah has always had a brand of being very accommodating and service-oriented, but people would run into a very physical counter to that when they visit an establishment," Beck said.

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, who had reservations about the changes when they passed the Legislature, said things appear to have "gone according to plan."

"That was the expectation that it would help tourism a little bit and I'm glad to hear that's the case," he said. "We were hopeful that it would not impact negatively on sales to people because that would say we made the wrong decision, so I would say so far it's a successful experience. And I haven't heard of increased DUIs because of this."

Data on DUIs for the year won't be available for about another month.

But Art Brown, president of the Salt Lake Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said it's impossible to tell what impact the change in the private club law has had, because other alcohol laws were tweaked at the same time.

For example, bars now have to scan driver licenses to verify patrons' ages and Interlock devices are now required for repeat drunken drivers.

"When you put it all in the soup, it's really hard to separate all out," he said. "We made a number of changes and we really don't know what change moved it what way because it's all in the mix. And that's the honest answer and probably the only honest answer there is." —

No jump in liquor sales

On July 1, 2009, Utah did away with a law requiring any patron ordering a drink at a bar to buy a membership to the so-called private club. The following figures reflect the sales of heavy beer, wine and liquor from the state's warehouse to Utah bars and clubs and show there has not been a spike in consumption since the new law took effect.

2008 • $17,646,586

2009 • $15,833,481 (10.3 percent decrease from '08)

2010 • $15,998,521 (1 percent increase from '09)

Source: Utah Department of Alcohol Beverage Control