Re "Utah liquor cops clamp down on drinks before food" (Tribune, Jan. 10):

My wife and I were victims of the latest Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control crackdown on restaurants serving alcohol. We patronized a favorite eatery; the place was busy, about a 45-minute wait for a table.

"We'll just wait in the bar," I offered.

"I can't serve alcohol unless you have a food order 'in the system,'" the bartender said.

I know Utah's alcohol-only-with-food requirement, but what's this? It was a 45-minute wait, and we wanted cocktails while we waited!

"We'll have the shrimp," I said, putting an order in the system. "But don't bring it. We have no place to eat it." Remember, we were standing in a crowded bar.

Another couple ordered drinks, but they ran afoul of the food/alcohol Catch 22. They can have their drinks when their table is ready. (Aha! The restaurant just lost a sale, probably the point of these rules.)

This crackdown by the great minds at DABC was to solve a problem that doesn't exist, created consternation where the experience should be enjoyable, befuddled servers and patrons alike, caused restaurants to lose revenues and made Utah look stupid … again!

Terry Johnson

Alpine