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The addition of beer to the drive-through menu at a Clive restaurant has some concerned about the effects it might have on the number of people drinking and driving.

"We're worried about it, but what are we going to do about it?" Clive Police Lt. Gary Walker said.

The Clive City Council granted Iowa Castle owner Ray Alehy a license to sell beer and wine coolers at his restaurant at the last council meeting. The vote was unanimous, but not without discussion.

"This kind of thing concerns me," said Councilman Scott Cirksena before placing his vote. "It may be legal, but it does give me concern."

In the end, the council conceded that there was no reason not to grant the license.

Drive-up liquor sales are not unheard of in Iowa, said Lynn Walding, administrator of the state alcoholic beverages division. As of February, the department had tallied 14 establishments in the state that sold liquor from drive-through windows, including a liquor store in Des Moines. Iowa Castle's situation is unique because it is the first fast-food restaurant to be granted a license in the state, he added.

Although the setup seems to promote drinking and driving, Walding said so far it hasn't been a problem in Iowa.

"To date, we've not had a complaint over any of those establishments," he said.

Patrons of the restaurant have mixed feelings about the beer sales. On Saturday, Jennifer and Doug Cook of Johnston enjoyed a beer inside the restaurant. On Friday night, three customers bought beer at the drive-through.

"I think it's convenient just to get a quick bite to eat and have a drink," Jennifer Cook said.

She added about the drive-through sales: "I think that's definitely not a good idea."

Alehy said he has taken several measures to keep his restaurant and patrons in accordance with the law:

• The restaurant's drive-through is open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, but beer sales will stop at 1:45 a.m. to stay in accordance with a state law that prohibits the sale of alcohol after 2 a.m.

• Patrons must purchase food to be able to buy beer. State law requires that the restaurant have at least 50 percent plus $1 of its sales in prepared foods to be able to continue to allow minors on the premises.

• Patrons who appear intoxicated will not be sold beer inside the restaurant or at the drive-through.

• All patrons who purchase beer will be carded, and their driver's license will be scanned for authenticity. Those purchasing beer at the drive-through can buy a limited number of beers, an effort to ensure that they are not providing alcohol to minors in the vehicle.

• All beer sold in the restaurant and drive-through is in unopened bottles.

Iowa law prohibits drivers or passengers from possessing an open or unsealed bottle, can, jar or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a motor vehicle.

"We are not promoting drunk driving in any shape or form," Alehy said. "They have to use their judgment when they are purchasing the items; we need to use our judgment when we sell the items."

Despite Alehy's precautions, there is still concern that some patrons may make the wrong choice, especially since the restaurant is located near clubs and bars along 86th Street.

"We'll be particularly alert when people are driving through at 2 (a.m.) and thereafter," said Clive Police Chief Robert Cox.

"Alcohol and vehicles can be a deadly combination," said Misty Moyse, national Mothers Against Drunk Driving director of communications. "MADD's concern with establishments selling alcohol through a fast-food drive-through is the possibility of implied permission to drink alcohol while behind the wheel."

An April report by the Associated Press said the upper Midwest has the worst drunken-driving rates in the country, according to a government report that says 15 percent of adult drivers nationally report driving under the influence of alcohol in the previous year.

Iowa was ranked 14th.

The report on drunken driving relies on data obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey asked 127,283 adults in 2004, 2005 and 2006 whether they had driven under the influence in the past year.

Clive police records show that the number of tickets issued for operating while intoxicated continues to rise each year. Drunken-driving reports went from 73 in 2004 to 102 in 2007.

"We'll have to keep an eye on it," Cox said.

Des Moines Register