Save Midnight Hookah

Report on Economic Development ramifications of BYOB Ordinance as approved by the Groton Town Council. By Michael Whitehouse Respectfully submitted September 3rd, 2018 Summary The BYOB Ordinance as approved by the Groton Town Council will have negative effects on economic development in four areas: The likely closure of a locally owned business and loss of late night entertainment Town reputation and business recruitment Events, conference, and special events Loss of downstream economic activity From an economic development standpoint, there are no clear benefit to this ordinance. On September 12th, 2018, the RTM will consider vetoing this ordinance. A veto requires a ⅔ vote of members in attendance to pass. Purpose and Background I became interested in the ramifications of this ordinance based on my considerable experience as an event organizer. On countless occasions, organizations I have worked with have suffered economic losses or elected not to

The following letter by Michael Whitehouse was shared with members of the Representative Town Meeting on September 3rd, 2018 Fellow Representatives, I would like to share with you some information which I have acquired in researching the BYOB Ordinance. Background Prior to doing this research, I had no personal interest in this issue. In all of my time in Groton, I have not participated in any activities that would have been affected by this ordinance, nor did I know anyone personally whose business would have been affected by this ordinance. My interest in this ordinance was purely as a Representative and a citizen of Groton. During the course of this research, I have spoken with Town Councilors Heede, Franco, and Obrey, Mayor Granatosky, Police Chief Fusaro, Economic Development Chair Young, Midnight Hookah owner Hassam Abudawood, various Midnight Hookah staff and customers, staff at Henny Penny, Gulf Express on Route 12, The Groton Townhouse Restaurant, as well as an assor

The Town Council has been adamant that their BYOB ordinance  is not intended for and will not result in the closure of any business. How can this be when the we have so many letters, including one from the owner Hassam Abudawood declaring that this will close his business. It is possible that you, like the Town Council, may also be confused by how a 1 AM curfew on alcohol consumption would be so devastating to a business that doesn't make its money from alcohol. To understand this, it is vital to understand the actual nature of this business. Knowing little about this culture or business, I spent twelve hours at Midnight Hookah over two nights, from 10 PM to 4 AM on consecutive evenings. Below is a summary of the business model from a combination of direct observations and conversations with staff and patrons. Midnight Hookah's hours are posted at 6 PM to 2 AM Sunday through Thursday and 6 PM to 4 AM on Friday and Saturday. However, nearly all of their business oc