BYOB in Ocean City?

I actually think that Woodrow Wilson or Abe Lincoln was President when I first discovered Ocean City. My father worked at Simm's Restaurant on the Boardwalk for years during his college days, so naturally, Ocean City became a big part of our lives. There are so many memories including the dances on 6th Street and the baseball games and the outdoor movies on 34th Street. I must admit that my favorite years were spent in Somer's Point during the 7 for a Buck days. I even met Conway Twitty and Mike Pedicin at Tony Mart's during those "Glory Days". I have also been around the restaurant business for more years than I wish to think about, and based on the above, I wanted to weigh-in on the BYOB debate as it relates to the chefs of Ocean City.

First let me say that I don't know how a restaurant owner can make it without the ability to sell the most profitable item in the house, which would be an alcoholic beverage. It's incredibly difficult without a liquor license, and I always wonder how the BYOB places stay afloat. In Ocean City, we carry this thinking to the next level - even BYOB is an impossibility. Again, I have to wonder how an Ocean City chef/owner can possibly make it. Like it or not, the overwhelming majority of the dining public wants a drink with their dinner. If even a glass of wine is not a possibility, most will go elsewhere - and they do. It's not a level playing field, and I would even suggest the word unfair applies.

I tend to side with the restaurant owners on almost every subject, and the Ocean City thing really bothers me. I honestly don't believe that allowing BYOB will lead to something more sinister like bars on every corner. I don't see it as a bad thing, and it hurts for me to say it, but I just can't side with the chefs on this one.

Ocean City is special for a reason, and the founders way back when set some standards that simply haven't changed for all these years. It's a special thing so why mess with it. I say this with respect to the people who reside on the island. I don't think they want to change this law and it is what it is. Things have changed everywhere but Ocean City is the same as it always was, and in my mind, that's a very good thing.

My sincere apologies to the chefs... and you haven't lived until you spend a night on the second street beach.