Table of Contents

To help you to navigate the contents of this site, we have organized the articles by category.

The Facts
Ordinance Text and Explanation
Town Council Meeting where vote occurred and citizen comment

Action
What Can You Do?

Letters
Representative Whitehouse's Letter of Objection
On Fairness - Representative Whitehouse's Response to Councilor Obrey's Question
Resident Ahmad Faraj opposing ordinance
Resident Khalid Habbab opposing ordinance
Owner Hossam Abudawood say this will close his business
Resident Samy Faraj opposing ordinance

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Letter from Hossam Abudawood - Owner of Midnight Hookah

Hossam Abudawood =============== Groton, CT  06340 Representative Town Meeting Groton Town Hall 45 Fort Hill Road Groton, CT 06340 August 15th, 2018 Dear Representative Town Meeting Members, Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hossam Abudawood, and I am the owner of  Midnight   Hookah  at 403 Pleasant Valley Road in Groton. I am writing to ask you to veto the “BYOB Ordinance” because it will be very damaging to my business. I will probably need to close the business if the ordinance passes. Since we opened this winter, I have worked very hard to create a safe, fun place where people can get together and have a good time. Our customers include Electric Boat employees, many Navy sailors, casino workers, waiters, bartenders, local business owners, and at least one state trooper. I have been diligent in working with the town to get all proper permits and authorizations at every step of my business. While we had some trouble with a few people w
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What's a Midnight Hookah?

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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
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Letter from Ahmad Faraj to the RTM

Received  Wednesday, August 15th Good Evening, My name is Ahmad Faraj and I have been a Groton resident for the past four years. After long weeks at work i always look forward to going to the Midnight Hookah Lounge on the weekends. The lounge has been the go to place for me and my friends ever since its inception. The owner is respectful and the security guards make sure no problems occur. Moreover, this is one of the only late night spots in Groton. I believe it would be unfair if the new B.Y.O.B  ordinance hindered the lounge's growing business. I hope that the ordinance can be vetoed by the Representatives at the town meeting to help this business stay afloat Thank you, Ahmad
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