Businesses ready for 2014 SPD

By: Sarah Devine – Asst. News Editor & Alise Jarmusz – Staff Writer

Gas stations and bars surrounding the University of Dayton campus are gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day with advanced planning and an increased their alcohol supply.

Lisa Veatch, store manager of United Dairy Farmers on the corner of Brown Street and Stewart Street, said the store will, “have a [greater] supply of beer this year.” This supply will also include an increase in the stock of 40 oz. beers, she said. Veatch plans to order 20 cases of Bud Light 40s, eight cases of Milwaukee’s Best 40s and four cases of Natural Ice 40s.

“With 12 40s in each case, we are going to have a truckload,” she said.

Veatch said St. Patrick’s Day seems to be the biggest day of beer sales for the year. In close second is Parent’s Weekend held in the fall.

“Last year on Parent’s Weekend we sold out of all cases of beer. Your parents must really love you all,” Veatch said.

The store manager at Shell, on the corner or Stewart Street and North Main Street disagreed about St. Patrick’s Day being the biggest day of sales for the year, but will still be increasing the store’s stock of 40s.

“We will definitely bump up our stock [of beer] a little bit, but because the bars open early [on St. Patrick’s Day], we don’t sell too much more than usual,” he said.

Shell’s store manager said the first days of the semester sell more beer than St. Patrick’s Day. He added that games days also increase sales at the store.

“It’s a given big day [for sales], but honestly, the night before [St. Patrick’s Day] is even bigger,” he said.

The store manager explained Shell always keeps a large stock of Natural Ice on hand no matter the occasion. The manager asked that his name not be printed in Flyer News.

Marie Wise, an employee at Sunoco on the corner of Brown Street and Springhouse Road, said St. Patrick’s Day at UD is “huge.”

“Last year beer sales tripled in one day. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it falls on, we sell a lot,” she said.

This year, Wise plans to double their beer order for the week of St. Patrick’s Day. However, she said Sunoco will not “go too crazy” ordering anything.

Wise also said she plans to talk with distributors about providing giveaways such as beads, koozies and pins.

Wise said ordering more beer is the easy part of St. Patrick’s Day.

“My biggest issue on [St. Patrick’s Day] is scheduling employees,” she said.

Popular campus bars Milano’s Atlantic City Subs and Timothy’s Bar and Grill have also begun preparing for the holiday.

In an email to Flyer News, Marty Brown, owner of Tim’s, explained they have bumped up all their alcohol orders 25 percent, except for draft beer.

“Everyone is a draft beer drinker it seems for St. Patrick’s Day, so we have 20 kegs of green Bud Light coming, which is way more draft than normal,” he said.

He said Tim’s will control crowd size by selling wristbands for their 5:30 a.m. opening time, and will maintain its “one-in-one-out” policy when the bar has reached maximum capacity.

According to a Dayton Department of Fire report, Tim’s was issued its annual public assembly permit application on Feb. 19, 2014, with the same occupant load as last year: 200 people.

Larry Adkisson, assistant general manager of Milano’s, said they ordered 30 kegs of beer and made more than 1,000 jello shots for its seventh annual Blue Beer Day on Wednesday, March 12, and ordered 20 kegs of green beer for St. Patrick’s Day.

As detailed in a Flyer News report on April 23, 2013, occupancy limits and subsequent enforcement from Dayton Department of Fire raised concerns from Milano’s management for its ability to hold Blue Beer Day this year.

According to Dayton Department of Fire report, last year Milano’s occupancy was 214 people. On Sept. 27, 2013, Milano’s was approved to increase its occupancy to 300 people, as stated in the document.

Adkisson said Milano’s will be opening at 7 a.m. on both Wednesday, March 12, and St. Paddy’s Day.

“Usually we get a nice crowd for St. Paddy’s Day,” he said. “But last year with that ‘40s at 4’ thing that kind of put everything on a hiatus.”