Evanston, Illinois, is home to the Women's Christian Temperance Union.* When I lived there, the city was essentially dry. There were no liquor store in town; however, the liquor store on Howard Street, on the Chicago border, would deliver to dorm rooms. There were only two ways to buy a drink in Evanston itself: (1) go to one of the the two or three hotels in town. Hotels had a municipal exemption from the blue laws because the city did not want to turn away out-of-town visitors; or (2) buy dinner at a restaurant that carried a limited liquor license. The city granted licenses to sell beer and wine in downtown restaurants, but patrons could buy the beverages only if they ordered a "meal."
Illinois law at that time allowed 18-year-olds to buy beer and wine. Almost everyone on campus therefore could drink legally. Students were good at persuading restaurant servers about what constituted a "meal" under the beverage laws. If you ordered something that wasn't on the appetizer menu, then the restaurant often allowed you to buy a beer or a glass of wine.
*One dorm, situated near the WCTU, offered T-Shirts for its residents that read, "We're Behind the WTCU."
Evanston, Illinois, February 1, 1978. We ate chili at Yesterday's on many Sunday evenings, when the university food service did not offer dinner.
1 comment:
Was that the place that served baby back ribs?
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