With businesses in Athens working to start serving alcohol, students may not even be interested.
With 18 bars in half a mile stretch, Court Street had plenty of places to grab a drink without the addition of two restaurants: Chipotle Mexican Grill and Fluff Bakery and Catering.
These two restaurants are the latest businesses to procure liquor licenses for only a small portion of their menu.
“We didn’t have any problems other than city council made a huge deal of it,” Fluff Owner Jessica Kopelwitz said. “Their concern was that there was just going to be too many places that could serve alcohol on Court Street.”
Kopelwitz, who received the liquor license in October 2014, disagreed with Athens City Council’s sentiments.
Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, expressed that citizens of Athens also had concerns with the prospect of the Court Street bakery adding alcohol to the menu.
“People in the city just want a restaurant to take their middle schooler to without alcohol on the menu,” Fahl said.
While her establishment may have a few alcoholic beverages on the menu, Kopelwitz said her restaurant far differs from the surrounding bars on Court Street.
“For us, it really was another accessory to add to what we already do. And for me, we wanted to move towards being a more full-service restaurant,” Kopelwitz added.
She added that the restaurant focuses on highlighting local brews that pair well with their food.
“We’re really good friends with Jackie O’s,” Kopelwitz said. “We try to keep it as local as possible."
Boasting selections from many local breweries, Fluff serves Mad Moon Hard Cider, Devil’s Kettle and Brothers Drake Mead. They plan to rotate through many local favorites throughout the year, though, Kopelwitz said.
Despite now having a liquor license, Kopelwitz said serving alcohol has not been as profitable as initially anticipated.
“We knew it would be a long term investment,” she said.
Chipotle, 41 S. Court St., is the latest uptown restaurant to obtain a liquor license. They began serving in June.
While the burrito restaurant is hardly ever wanting for patrons, Chipotle General Manager Allison Crowley said alcohol didn’t do much to bolster the restaurant’s sales.
“Very small, very small percentage,” Crowley said.
Currently, Chipotle offers three types of beers and a Patrón or Sauza margarita. Crowley has plans for expanding the drinks offered.
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“We want to get a local craft brew in here. It’s just a matter of making sure we choose the right one that goes well with the Chipotle food,” Crowley said.
Students may not be interested in drinking at Chipotle or Fluff, though.
Christian Moeller, a senior studying finance and economics, expressed disinterest in the margaritas at Chipotle.
“I’d try it just to try it, but I wouldn’t get it regularly,” Moeller said.
Dimitra Cesaratto, a graduate student studying exercise physiology, was grabbing lunch at Chipotle and echoed Moeller’s sentiment.
“There’s so many bars around. We don’t need to drink at Chipotle,” Cesaratto said.
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