Canadian County Residents Work To Reverse Sunday Alcohol Restrictions At Restaurants

Community members in Canadian county are working together to reverse a Sunday alcohol sale restriction.   

They said it all comes down to keeping tax dollars within their county. News 9 found out it's not just residents wanting this change.  

People in the restaurant industry said it's affecting future business deals. They’re worried they won't be able to compete with surrounding areas.  

“When people leave town because they can’t get a beer with their football game here or they can’t get a mimosa with their Sunday brunch they don’t look at their watch and say , ‘okay it’s 2 o’clock now we can go back to Yukon or to Mustang,’ they stay where they’re at,” David Russell said, a Mustang Community Advocate for reversing the county law.  

Since 1985 Canadian County has restricted the sale of liquor between 10 and 2 p.m. at restaurants on Sundays.  

“It’s not just the tax dollars that communities are losing out on alcoholic beverages themselves, it's the food sales that go with it, the shopping at the retail stores nearby,” said Russell.  

This restriction hurts restaurant owners who are trying to compete with restaurants a few miles down the road, according to Russell.  

 “They are trying to compete with restaurants in Oklahoma City that are able to have a Sunday brunch menu,” said Russell.  

It also hurts the service industry that relies heavily on the weekend rush, according to Russell.  

“When that server is not able to work through that first football game on Sunday, that is a third of their game time on Sunday, so it does affect every industry,” Russell said.  

 Russell has an online petition to gauge public interest and is working with County Commissioners on the change.  

 “I’ve spoken to each of the county commissioners independently and they’ve all been tremendously helpful,” Russell said.  

 Canadian County Commissioner Dave Anderson told News 9, “several business owners and residents of Canadian County have asked the current commissioners to call an election that would repeal that long-standing restriction. We will be discussing this issue over the next several months.” 

 The measure can't be on a ballot on its own because of the language of the measure. As of right now the next opportunity to get on the ballot would be in March 2024.