Newellstown Diner’s Alcohol Sale Passage Could Provide Additional Benefits

A may primary election with issues-only choices generally don’t elicit a large turnout of the electorate.

This week’s primary in Ohio was no exception. The City of St. Clairsville had one issue for city residents to vote upon—the Cumberland Trail Fire District levy.

To no surprise, it passed: 711 “for” votes versus 185 “against” the 1-mill increase.

But a small section, a subsection actually of St. Clairsville voters had another decision to make, one that could affect far more lives than the 456 registered voters in Precinct 26.

Those voters, half of Ward 4, comprise the precinct which houses Newellstown Diner. The Diner, co-owned by Ward 4 Councilwoman Terra Butler and city police officer T.J. Stewart, sought approval to allow for not only alcohol sales inside the diner but also for it to be sold on Sundays. This required two separate ballot issues.

Both passed. General sales passed 29-18 while Sunday sales were slightly more divided at 27 20.

Those 47 votes represented only 10.53 percent of the electorate in Precinct 26.

Butler felt the ballot measure had support, given the responses she and other helps received when canvassing the precinct for the required 88 signatures the get the proposal on the May ballot.

The hard part was that, given the lack of any candidate races, would enough supporters come out to vote?

“We weren’t really sure how it would go, given that it was a May election and not a busy election,” Butler admitted. “We were just concerned about having enough people to vote more than anything.

“We had a lot of support when we went and got signatures. We had a lot of conversations with a lot of people. But we didn’t know if everyone who said they supported the measure would go vote.”

Butler admitted that of all the signatures they went to collect, only once was a person not willing to sign.

In generating such a low turnout, there’s an argument that only the truly passionate about this issue came out to vote, and that the majority of precinct 26 votes either felt it would pass or perhaps didn’t care either way.

Now that it’s passed, it will have changes for not only the diner and the residents in Precinct 26, but all members of St. Clairsville and beyond.

Immediate Plans

Yes, Newellstown Diner can now serve alcohol. And yes, that includes Sundays.

At its base level, what that means is there is a restaurant facility within city limits, other than Pada D’s Pizza, that can legally serve alcohol.

But the diner is also not a bar. It’s not a pub. And the owners have no plans to make it such.

Butler and Stewart are still ironing out details about how they want to implement alcohol sales.

Hours may change. Menu options naturally will, given that alcohol will soon be available. They are planning to implement small changes and make adjustments as the demands of the business became clear.

What is also clear though, is what the two AREN’T doing with the property.

“We are not turning this into a diver bar, or a beer joint, or whatever,” Butler said. “It’s still going to be primarily the diner, but we’ll just have this addition.

“We are not turning this into something that it’s not, something that it really can’t be. Not to mention, we don’t have a lot of room, so it can’t be transformed into some big, busy place.”

Butler noted she and Stewart have some ideas; ideas like offering opening up later on different evenings with some dinner-style options.

The diner has a television. Might it add one or two more, allow patrons to come to eat on a Saturday or Sunday in the fall, and enjoy the game with food and a couple of beers or alcoholic drinks?

Taco day is a particularly popular—and busy one—at the diner. Might it be enhanced by the serving of Margaritas?

Those ideas are along the lines of thinking the two have about how to “add” to what the diner offers. Don’t look for “quarter pitcher night” or “all you can drink” for $20. That’s not going to happen.

“Our main thing is, we want to keep the diner, the diner,” Butler said.

The owners have a few things to wrap up with both the Board of Elections for Belmont County, and the Liquor Control Board.

Once the election results are finalized, and the liquor license is obtained, then the diner will start making little changes to enhance its offerings.

Butler noted they are thinking sometime in June to start offering alcohol to patrons, but the date is not set in stone and an announcement will be made as that time draws closer.

A Benefit for All

The diner is obviously the primary beneficiary of this ballot measure passing, that, and its current and potential future patrons who enjoy a drink with a meal.

But the potential benefits extend far beyond those narrow parameters.

The city’s Cinco de Mayo block party held Friday is a perfect example.

The diner, along with Papa D’s, Giacinta’s, Mary Jane’s Bakery, and Cedar One Realty are all offering Mexican-themed options, both in food and drink.

Some of those options include alcohol. Not everyone who attends the block party will partake, but some will. And those partygoers will also walk the street of the block party, and potentially patronize other shops in town that are open.

The town has numerous interesting shops, bakeries, restaurants, and other amenities. But like most downtowns, everything closes up at five, save for the city’s numerous pizza shops.

If people want to shop or eat something other than pizza, they are generally forced to drive beyond the city’s borders.

If more options remained open later, might that entice more business into downtown after 5 p.m., not only for the diner and other eateries but also for other businesses that, noticing the increased late traffic, opt to also stay open later?

“We’ve talked to other business owners and just having one business change up and provide a different way of drawing people into downtown could be beneficial for all of them,” Butler said. “We have a sweet downtown. There are neat shops, bakeries, and boutiques, but it gets sparse in the late afternoon and evening. But what it we could offer up something different and help to change that.”

Butler’s seen the type of atmosphere that can permeate downtown St. Clairsville later in the evenings. Cinco de Mayo is one example. Other block parties and events like Second Saturdays, are others.

“I’ve seen our places, especially in the Spring and Summer, when something different is going on, shops will stay open, or open up later, and our people like to get up and mingle,” Butler said. “It’s fun when the shops are open because the people are out. It’s great for everyone.

“It’s not always about a bar scene and booze. If you don’t like alcohol, you don’t have to drink it. You can still come up and enjoy everything else.”

And for a town that, per the last census, is teetering close to the edge of city status, any ideas that could bring others to town, not only to shop but to live, could have far-reaching implications beyond the voters in Precinct 26.

Butler is happy that those voters have provided the opportunity to do just that.