It was one of the only bars in town that allowed the young and the old to mix - with alcohol present. The legals could tip a few, toss some darts and share some good cheer. The young kids could sit around and make fun of the older kids who had been mistakenly over-served.
It's not the sexiest way to spend a night, but it was a way that the bar-eligible and the underagers - many of them on our own staff here at The State News - could get together in a smoky villa and reminisce about the week over a fragrant brew.
Unfortunately, the Powers That Be decided it was too risky for those underagers to watch the older kids go to work on a pitcher or four.
Joe Bell, owner of the Peanut Barrel Restaurant, and Joe Goodsir, who seems to make a nickel every time a beer is poured in this city, brought the hammer down on the fun-loving youngsters two weeks ago, banishing them forever from the friendly confines of 521 E. Grand River Ave. after the clock strikes midnight.
Heady days, man. Fun nights, too. But all we can say is, tough break for the underage scene. A tough, but fair, break that puts the kibosh on some good times.
The Peanut Barrel Restaurant was one - if not the only - bar in town that let those under 21 intermingle with the legals. While it was refreshing to be able to sit with your younger friend and have a good time, it doesn't make any good sense for Bell and "The Barrel" to keep up the act.
Bell said problems with the behavior of underage patrons had to do with the move, though he wouldn't disclose exactly what brought about the change in Peanut Barrel policy.
It's usually the case, in situations of radical shifts of rule, where one person's bad decision ruined a good time for everyone else. To that person, we hope your rum and Coke was flat, weak and watery and that you used Castillo Rum in your underhanded endeavor to have a drink. Blech - Castillo.
But to anyone who's shown up to at least three sessions of your microeconomics course, you'd know that Bell made the right call. The underager won't order a drink - not much profit margin in soda compared to liquor - and takes up a seat otherwise filled by a potential brew consumer.
The drinkers were kept on the outside, pressing their noses to the front window like so many Dickensian street urchins itching for a drop of sweet lady booze. Now it'll be the youngsters huddled 'round the window to watch their friends trip and stagger around on the inside. More money for Bell and his bar. Hard to find fault there.
And now it's less likely, almost impossible, for the Peanut Barrel Restaurant to be busted by the conniving fake ID. The fines are not cheap for the establishment, the server or the guilty party. Restricting underage patrons probably won't cost Bell anything in the long run.
It's a measure for peace of mind, keeping the bar's bankbook in the black and maintaining a sense of customer loyalty by giving the kids until midnight to clear out. It's a shame that those accustomed to spending a late evening at "The Barrel" will have to relocate, but one can't argue with the facts.
