Lansing resident and general manager of What Up Dawg? Bill Schramm pours a pint Oct. 8, 2013, at What Up Dawg? on 317 M.A.C. Avenue. Schramm thinks that it is ignorant to create a law demanding that a pint be exactly 16 oz. He says obviously he does not want customers to get ripped off, but thinks businesses should be trustworthy in the first place. Margaux Forster/The State News
A bill going through the Michigan legislature could give bar patrons throughout the state a few more drops of beer in their mug.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, would mandate that all bars selling pints must serve patrons a full 16 ounces.
The proposal is in response to bars across Michigan advertising pints of beer, but serving less.
English and kinesiology senior Nathan Schwartz said he’s dealt with the problem during his trips to local bars.
“Half the time I have had to lie to myself to believe that I was served a pint — the glass was just too thin,” Schwartz said. “It’s about telling the customers the truth.”
Many students go to bars each weekend, and without a regulation on a pint, they could be receiving less then they assumed.
Knezek said the main drive of the proposal is protecting consumers.
Enforcing good business practices in Michigan will not only benefit consumers, but it will attract more people to Michigan as well, he said.
“It’s bad for Michigan business,” Knezek said. “If you’re going to serve a pint, it has to be 16 ounces. If not, just don’t call it a pint.”
Michigan is becoming well known for its plethora of craft beer. With this market increasing in Michigan, the need for fair business practices in the industry is imperative.
Schwartz believes this bill should be passed, regardless of any changes to the pricing of beer at the local bar.
“They would be charging the correct amount for (the beer) they are selling,” Schwartz said.
Some local businesses believe the bill’s contents should be common sense for any establishment serving alcohol.
“I don’t feel like this bill is necessary — a pint is a pint is a pint,” said William Schramm, general manager for East Lansing restaurant What Up Dawg?
However, the pint may not be so black and white after all. The term pint technically means 16 ounces, but Schramm noted that in the past, a footlong hotdog meant 12 inches. Today, most footlong hotdogs are only 11.5 inches.
“The footlong is a loose term. If the pint is headed that way, then it’s possible,” Schramm said.
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