Many off-campus residents will have to find a new place to buy beer for a while, as the Exxon gas station located on 17th Avenue and Summit Street has had its liquor license suspended for 45 days.
After being charged with selling alcohol to minors, the Exxon station was ordered to suspend all alcohol sales from April 15 until noon on May 30.
Although Exxon had installed a card-swiping device which electronically scans IDs to make sure customers are of legal age, the station already had charges filed against it.
“They were undercover cops that got us,” said James Brown, manager of the Exxon station. “We installed the card-swiper around the end of November. The busts were before that.”
Michael Duff, an employee at the station, has noticed a decline in business.
“God, it has been slow,” said Duff. “We’re all losing here, not just the company. Everybody’s losing hours. I had to switch from second shift to first shift, which I’m not happy about, and now kids have to drive to get more to drink on Friday nights. They used to just walk over here, now they might be driving drunk to other places.”
The suspension has also affected the Subway restaurant located inside the station.
“We’re losing nearly $400 a day, and that’s just the Subway,” said Danielle Brodnax, a manager of the Subway. “I imagine the station is losing a lot too.”
Many residents of the area are annoyed with the inconvenience.
“I used to go there a lot,” said Andy Mank, a senior in engineering. “It was within walking distance, and UDF has the longest lines ever. I haven’t been there once since they lost it (the liquor license).”
Despite the loss of alcohol sales, Brown did not comment on whether business was slower than usual.
“I have not analyzed those numbers yet,” Brown said.
According to Brown, there are still two cases pending. Both of these charges are for selling alcohol to minors. It is unknown if the cases will result in longer suspensions for the Exxon station.
