Local businesses need a helping hand from Downers Grove

It is an all too often occurrence. A large party of people come into a Downers Grove bar and ask where the machines are.

They are, of course, referring to video gaming machines and currently video gaming is not allowed in Downers Grove.

“What is frustrating is that when this happens only a couple of people in the group want to play the machines but because we can’t accommodate them – the whole group leaves and goes somewhere else,” said Bryan Bentley, owner of Bryan’s American Grille. “Not only are we foregoing the revenue that every restaurant and bar in surrounding communities is getting from video gaming, but we are losing out on sales that should be ours. Downers Grove can fix this by simply allowing video gaming.”

The Village is considering a video gaming ordinance which would limit licenses to 10 and restrict the kinds of downtown businesses that could apply for licenses.

“This is a good compromise,” said Bob Taft, owner of Q Pub and Grill. “It gives businesses like mine the lifeline it needs to stay in business without creating a situation where there are an overwhelming number of machines in our community. The pandemic has hurt the hospitality industry hard, and we need the revenue these machines provide.”

Taft owns and operates five different locations and all but the Downers Grove location has video gaming. He said video gaming helps keep prices stable and allows him to pay his employees more.

“It is getting harder and harder to keep good employees because large corporations are able to pay more,” Taft said. “With the price of all of the food supplies we need to serve our menu – the extra revenue from video gaming really is a necessity not a luxury. Everyone wins if we can put machines in our Downers Grove location. Our employees can get increased wages. We can stabilize our menu prices and the Village gets additional tax revenue. Everyone wins.”

One of the fallouts of the pandemic is the number of people working from home and no longer going into the office.

“We have had to do away with lunch service because so many people are working from home,” Taft said. “It just was not worth it to keep serving lunch. Losing an entire service has put a big-time strain on our bottom line. We need some additional sources of revenue. We need video gaming.”

The hospitality industry is the anchor of the business community, Bentley said. He noted food and entertainment are what bring people out.

“If we want our retail stores to continue to thrive, then we need to make sure our local bars and restaurants are doing well because you can’t sit down with your friends and enjoy a good meal online,” Bentley said. “People make plans to go out to dinner and while they are out, they go shopping and patronize other businesses. If we want to continue to have a vibrant business community – then we need a vibrant hospitality industry which is why video gaming is so important for not just my business but the community as a whole. I call on the Village Board to do the right thing and pass the video gaming ordinance.”

Taft said the effort to get video gaming in Downers Grove is more than just dollars and cents. It is about making his hometown community a great place to live and work and raise a family.

“I have owned Q Pub & Grill in Downers Grove since 1998,” Taft said. “I grew up in this community and graduated from Downers Grove South High School. What I want and what I think all Downers Grove business owners want is to ensure our community remains a destination for jobs and opportunities and to attract new families from across our region. I love this community and I plan on being a part of it for a long time to come.”