SB 136 is running into opposition from an unexpected corner. Within the ranks of the restaurant industry itself, forces are building up quickly to defeat SB 136. New Orleans’ own Ralph Brennan of Bacco, Mr.B’s Bistro, the Red Fish Grill, Commander’s Palace, and much more is the force behind the opposition. His efforts are gaining steam and have spread throughout the French Quarter and beyond to various neighborhood associations in the Crescent City. What this means for us is that if the Beer Industry League and the Louisiana Restaurant Association can’t convince Mr. Brennan and friends of the merits of passing this bill or work out a compromise, we’re in for an epic battle. Fighting the New Orleans restaurant lobby is not what we wanted or expected. We haven’t been able to figure out why Mr. Brennan opposes any changes to existing language; it might just be a general protectionist stance to take care of his investments.
CORRECTION
It has come to our attention that Ralph Brennan is not opposed to SB 136. On good faith and reasonable belief therein, we understand that Mr. Brennan agrees with the clarification contained within SB 136 and is actually a supporter of the bill in its current form. Therefore, we wish to issue this public correction to state that the information previously provided (above), though from an otherwise credible and substantiated source, appears to have been inaccurate as it pertains to Brennan. There is indeed resistance from that part of the New Orleans restaurant community which is apparently confused about the potential effect of the proposed bill on existing businesses, but Ralph Brennan should not be counted within their ranks. Our sincere apologies for this mistake.
We still desperately need you to call at least your senator and hopefully a few others and express your support for SB 136. The road ahead is getting steeper and the simple truth is that we cannot hope to make it without you and your voice.
The vote could come after 1 pm today, so we’d like to ask you to take a few minutes after lunch to make a phone call. Use the below form form to find your senator’s contact information.
If you’ve got some trepidation about calling your senator, just know that in all likelihood, you are going to get an answering service or staffer and you can simply leave a message that goes something like this:
My name is [name] and I live at [address] in [city]. I am calling to tell Senator [last name] that I am a strong supporter of SB 136 and that I urge [him/her] to vote for this bill when it comes to the floor later today. Thank you.
If you do get through to an actual human being then simply let them know that you are a constituent (give your name and at least your zip code so they are aware of this) and that you support SB 136. Feel free to mention any of the reasons why you support it, as well as any of the ones we’ve listed in previous talking points.
We know it’s hard to feel involved during this stage of the game. There’s no court or committee room to pack to show your support and it’s hard to feel like you’re both part of and representing a community with a phone call, but this is REALLY IMPORTANT and it actually does help a lot. Ask anyone who was lobbied for a piece of legislation and they will tell you that there is nothing better than running into a member of the legislature and having them say “We understand where your people are coming from, can you please tell them to stop calling?” IT WORKS!
To give a bit of incentive, check this out: if you send us an email verifying that you’ve called your senator and either talked to them or left a message, and that same email address was used to confirm a signature on our petition in support of SB 136, then you will be entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift certificate for a meal at Chelsea’s! The drawing will be held on Thursday, June 11th at 7:30p and you will be notified if you’ve won via the same email address you use to contact us. So make sure you’ve got a confirmed signature on the petition, call your senator and email us at ilovechelseas@gmail.com to let us know! And please, pass this on via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Thank you!