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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Gopher Bar In St. Paul Closes Early
On Saturday Nights

A landmark of downtown St. Paul, the Gopher Bar - famous for its Coney dogs - has an earlier closing time on Saturday nights, much earlier than the usual 2AM closing time mandated by law.

Minnpost's Joe Kimball has the story:

    Someone had been downtown Saturday night for a concert and swung by the Gopher Bar in the early evening hours for a pre-show Coney, and found the Gopher closed.

    [...]

    ...people come from all around the metro area for the Coney Island hot dogs, thin wieners in a bun, covered with a home-cooked meat sauce.

    [...]

    Andrew Kappas opened the place in 1955 [...] [his son] George now runs the place.

    [...]

    "Yeah, I close up early on Saturdays," he said. Usually about 6 p.m., he said, unless there's a Saturday night Wild game, when he'll stay open until 7 p.m., when the puck drops.

    Why?

    "Because what you get, you don't want," he said mystically. Apparently the level of clientele diminishes on Saturday nights.

    [...]

    He said his business dropped way off with the smoking ban, initiated in St. Paul even before the statewide ban took effect last year.

    "My lunch hours held up, because I've got something unique. [The Coneys.] But the ban kicked the [crap] out of my after-work crowd," Pappas said.

    To make matters worse, Pappas said his liquor license fee went up by $2,000 this year.

    "Too many communists running things," he said.

Don't worry...no bar owner should fret. Why, you have St. Paul Mayor Kommissar Chris Coleman and St. Paul Coucilslob Dave "Toothy Grin" Thune looking after the business climate. What could possibly go wrong?



St. Paul Kommissar Chris Coleman (above) who, in April 2006, said,
“no one is going to go out of business because of the non-smoking laws.”




Dave “Toothy Grin” Thune (above), who, in January 2006, speaking about the No-Smoking Ban
in bars and restaurants in St. Paul, told bar owners, "I say [to the bar owners] Trust Me."


©2008

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Comments:
I love your sarcasm man.
 
Sarcasm? I'm not sure what you mean. I approach all issues with a very serious and no-nonsense manner.

Thanks for the comment and "getting it".
 
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