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Actually, Evanston City Council approved the sale of liquor in the city's hotels and restaurants in 1972, and Northwestern followed suit in 1975. I was a student at NU and living in Evanston when the changes were made. If I remember correctly, the impetus was Holiday Inn, which would not build in Evanston (at Sherman and Lake--it's now a Best Western) unless they could serve liquor. At first, you could not order a drink unless you ordered food also. There was a Greek restaurant called Corinthian Column on Noyes (I think) where students would order a plate of french fries and nibble at it while ordering rounds of drinks.

Evanston First, the city's first liquor store (duh!), did not open until 1984, with the Osco that used to occupy the SW corner of Sherman and Church eventually getting the second retail liquor license.

From the NU website:
The changing culture and economic hard times in Evanston led the City Council in 1972 to approve the sale of liquor by an 11 to 8 margin, with one abstention. Supporters said liquor licenses would help businesses such as hotels and restaurants in the central business district.

Northwestern followed the trend in 1975, after the State of Illinois began allowing the sale of beer and wine to persons 19 years old. Northwestern students, who wanted a bar at Norris University Center, were the impetus for Northwestern’s lawsuit, which asked the Cook County Circuit Court if the local option law implicitly repealed the charter ban on alcohol sales within four miles of the campus. The University won its case, applied for a liquor license from Evanston and began serving liquor on campus, ending the ban on alcohol sales that had survived more than 120 years [since 1855].

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"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

I worked at the Holiday Inn in Evanston in 1976 and 77. At the bar you were not required to order food to drink. Ernie Terrell a retired boxer was the big name entertainment they would have in the lounge on weekends.

The Orrington had a liquor only bar at that time, actually they had two, the large bar and the small bar. The small bar was more like a room turned into a lounge. It might have had two tables in it. The large bar was maybe twice the size of the small bar. They were great club like places and for me being only 18 and able to drink there, I felt like a sophisticate going to them.

The first really great burger I ever had was at a rest in Evanston think it was called Fridays. It was a lil north of downtown. I wonder if the burger was that good or if my tastes were so bad at the time.

Sorry to go down memory lane here but those were some fun times for me.

Are you thinking of Yesterday's? It was in the 1800 block of Sherman (on the corner of University Place), where Lou Malnati's is now. My (very faded) memory of the place says the food there wasn't bad....

Before Yesterday's, that location was The Key, where you also could get a decent burger--and which offered topping options such as blue cheese, olives, and mushrooms--the first place I ever saw that variety--we're talking way back in the '60s. They also had those little in-booth juke boxes--whatever they are called. Going way back (before my time), that space was Lou's (but no relation to Malnati's).

(All of this is way off-topic of Evanston's liquor tax, I realize....)

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"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini