By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board voted Wednesday to extend the number of hours a Logan County restaurant can serve beer, though several area residents said they opposed the extension.

The board also approved sales of beer and small-farm wines at an adventure park in Franklin County.

John and Gail Ragains told the board their 21-and-over restaurant, Johnny Mac’s Barbeque and More, also known as Johnny Mac’s Rockin’ Rooster, is unable to compete with other establishments in the Paris area because its permit to serve beer includes a restriction that beer cannot be on tables after 10 p.m.

The couple said they agreed to the 10 p.m. cutoff in 2007 as a compromise with area residents who opposed their original permit request, but they found they could not compete with other restaurants that can serve beer until 1 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Saturdays.

“I just appeal to your sense of fairness,” Gail Ragains said.

Several area residents testified that allowing the business to serve beer after 10 p.m. would increase traffic on area roads late at night and increase the likelihood of alcohol-related crashes.

Some said they feared the restaurant would turn into a “honky tonk” similar to a business that once occupied the same spot years ago, under different ownership.

Tommy Johns, who lives about a mile and a half from the business, said extending the hours of beer sales could cause the clientele to change.

“A younger crowd will come in, bringing things we don’t want,” he said.

Gail Ragains said no fatal crashes have occurred in the vicinity of the restaurant since it opened in August. She said the business has not violated any of the state’s liquor laws, has only featured live music seven times and is not seeking to attract a young crowd.

Paul Schmidt, an attorney for area residents, noted that the phrase “Rockin’ Rooster” is suggestive of a honky tonk.

Gail Ragains said the couple formerly owned Rooster’s nightclub in Fort Smith, and “we had some roosters left over.”

Board member Tony Ellis said he believed the couple had proven themselves and deserved to be on a level playing field with competitors. A motion by Ellis to grant the request passed 3-2.

Also Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to grant Byrd’s Adventure Center a permit to sell beer and small-farm wines for off-premises consumption.

The center near Ozark offers canoeing, camping and other outdoor activities, owner Pamela Boulden told the board. She said she wanted to add a package store “for competitive purposes.”

No one testified against the permit application.