2018-05-03 Liquor Commission Minutes

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Gonzalez: Yes. Lopez: And to your point, we could restrict that to close at 6:00 P.M. and perhaps not have special events? Gonzalez: Correct. Lopez: Alright, thank you. I understand much better. Onizuka: Mr. Chair, just as a point of information for the Commission, I served on that Commission when we had the Shooter's incident come before us. I think that was something that was getting out of hand. But, I'd like all of you to realize that, and I think that Mr. Inouye knows this, when we dealt with Shooter's, they were being operated by individuals, single proprietors that just didn't care. In this case, we're dealing with a company that works under the Hilton banner. To me, it's a different light. I don't think anyone operating under the Hilton banner would ever have incidents like what happened in the past with Shooter's. The problem we had with Shooter's was that we were dealing with individuals that (for lack of a better description) couldn't care less. Mr. Inouye came forward and approached the Commission for help and at that time, we did whatever we could. I realize what they went through, but I'd like you to consider that we're operating under two different lights. Raymond: Mr. Chair, I also have a question regarding what it says, that "...the bar services will be in the Starter building." Is there any security that will be monitored even if it's from the 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. to say that these people who are purchasing even for the cart services that they aren't walking to their cars in the parking lot or drinking outside of the actual golf course or in that building that the bar will be held in? Chu: Yes. The Hotel does have security but I think there's very limited play and the golf Starter can control that. We can make it clear that there's no drinking in the parking lot, we don't want drinking in the parking lot. It's really an amenity for the golfers that we're talking about. Depending on play, the golf cart service may not go out. If there's only one, two, three sets, it's not going to happen. We're hoping that this will increase play to the extent that we could get the golf service out there. That's really the plan. I want to thank everybody for coming out. We share the same concerns. We don't want a Shooter's situation. That would definitely jeopardize what the ownership is trying to do with Hilton. Hilton oversees everything that "we" (as he works closely with the ownership) do and we have to raise the standard way higher than Hilo's ever been used to. The food service we have to offer, the guest services, we read the reviews, everything is scrutinized very much by Hilton. We don't want to lose the Hilton affiliation. We have the very same concerns about the violence and noise on Banyan Drive; if not, a greater concern. Because, not only do we report to the Commission and Hawaii County Police, we report to Hilton. We don't want to lose that, so we appreciate that. Like Mr. Onizuka says, it's a little different now. We're not in there to make a fast dollar. Our room rates reflect that; our room rates are much higher than ever seen on Banyan Drive before. It attracts a different clientele. Our clientele demands more. Average stays went from 1.5 nights a week to 3 plus nights per week. That's unheard of in Hilo. We share their concerns, and we thank them for coming out. But, again, I want to focus on May 3, 2018 — LIQUOR COMMISSION MINUTES 20