6 JAN 09: Shutdown at Sundown?
The scene of the crime was open Monday night. I know, because I jogged by the back door and saw cars parked there. Oh yes, I should explain - this was NOT one of those Columbus gas stations where the price suddenly has jumped back above $1.60.
Lil Kim's Cove on Fourth Street appeared to have business as usual, two nights after someone was shot in the parking lot. But I suppose that's the nature of the bar and nightclub business. You don't let one bad apple spoil the fun, for the people who politely get drunk.
But are some Columbus restaurants becoming more fearful of crime? An e-mail we received Monday suggested it....
I have noticed that some businesses along Wynnton Rd/ Macon Rd have started to close at dark..Is that because crime has become such a threat? I had a hankering for BBQ at 6PM ,but Macon Rd BBQ was closing,so I crossed the road to Capt Tom's and they were closing. Mazzio's has closed completely,no more pizza buffet for lunch.
We weren't sure whether these restaurants would be open at all Monday. Many restaurants are closed on Mondays because it's usually the slowest day of the week for business. Sunday dining is "slow" only when you're with the family eating pot roast.
Macon Road Barbecue on Avalon Road told us.... hey, wait a minute! This is what annoys me about Columbus barbecue restaurants. They aren't where they claim to be. The "13th Street Bar-Be-Que" has a Columbus location on Veterans Parkway, well north of Airport Thruway. And how many Country's restaurants really are out in the country?
But anyway: the man who answered the phone at Macon Road Barbecue confirmed the restaurant was closing at 6:00 Monday night. BUT he went on to say that only happens on Mondays. During the rest of the week, he said they're open until 8:00 -- so you can have red-hot sauce on a cold January evening after all.
The man at Macon Road Barbecue indicated Midtown crime is NOT the reason why the restaurant's hours are the way they are. I have no reason to think he's lying -- especially since he heard my voice over the phone, and decided I was "Pastor Taylor."
Over at Captain Tom's Country Buffet, the man who answered the phone said the 6:00 p.m. closing time occurs on Mondays through Wednesday. BUT other nights of the week are different -- including a Friday night closing time of 9:30. On a night when criminals tend to be more dangerous, the restaurant is right there with them.
I asked the man at Captain Tom's if crime was behind the three-night early closing. He said he didn't think that was the reason. Never underestimate the drawing power of "Jeopardy" at 7:00 p.m.
As for Mazzio's, that chain may be downsizing. The "Italian Eatery" web site (not simply pizza anymore) shows it's down to only one Georgia location. But if it's any consolation, there are two in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
To be fair, I've noticed for several years that other Midtown restaurants lock their doors early - not necessarily at sunset, but earlier than the time shown on the door. Chick-Fil-A tends to lock up on Saturday nights by 9:00, but keep the drive-through lane open later. That can reduce the risk of crime - but it also reduces every customer's fuel economy.
Now that we've cleared up some potential rumors, let's check other Monday meditations....
+ Our sympathies to the friends and family of Griffin Bell. Georgia Southwestern State University named a golf course in his honor last September, and a quail hunt in Americus bears his name as well. I never realized this former U.S. Attorney General was so into birdies.
+ A bill was pre-filed in the Georgia General Assembly to impose a state entry fee for nightclub customers. I can already hear the complaints now - that dancers' incomes will drop lower than their shorts.
(I had a great punch line for this idea, but the evening news beat me to it. They want to bring back a "pole tax" in the South.)
+ WRBL talked to a Macon County, Alabama man who's going to the Presidential inauguration. Willie Kirk is taking his donkey Irene to Washington - but he'd better be careful, or some smart-aleck Republicans will claim it's House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(Irene the donkey traveled to Washington for both of President Bill Clinton's inaugurals. Then Republicans took control of the White House - and I suppose the donkey was put out to pasture.)
+ WXTX finally replaced The Tube on digital channel 54.2. It's now showing a 24-hour movie channel called "This TV." I noticed it while scanning the dial and said, "THIS is all I get?"
+ WRBL reported the Auburn water department is going to "multi-cycle billing." So which one will cost more - the wash cycle, rinse cycle or spin cycle?
+ Auburn University football coach Gene Chizik named Trooper Taylor as his wide receivers coach. After all those years guarding Tommy Tuberville on the sidelines, the big break finally comes....
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