LYNNWOOD — Daverthumps Pub of Lynnwood was knocked out of first place on a state list and the owners and employees could not be happier.
Law enforcement officers issued 32 citations to drunk drivers who claimed Daverthumps Pub, 19720 44th Ave. W., was the last place they were served. That puts Daverthumps Pub in sixth place on the state list, according to the State Liquor Control Board.
“It shows that we are getting a handle on the problem and working it out,” said Julie Enger of Bothell, who owns the bar with husband, Gary.
In 2004, the 33-year-old Lynnwood pub topped the state list of businesses where drunken drivers say they were served last before getting behind the wheel, according to the State Liquor Control Board.
By state law, servers can not serve alcohol to anyone who appears intoxicated and must take their drinks away. The last time Daverthumps was fined for over service was a $300 penalty in September 2003.
Daverthumps Pub, the State Liquor Control Board and Lynnwood Police worked together last year to get the Lynnwood pub as far down on the state list as possible, according to Kate Miyasato, senior liquor enforcement officer with the state liquor control board.
Liquor control agents and police officers taught classes to show servers and security personnel how to identify intoxicated customers, remove their drinks and, if necessary, remove rowdy patrons from the premises.
“I think some of the credit goes to (Daverthumps) for what they did. I think they really focused on it,” Miyasato said. “I think some of the credit goes to my staff for helping them stay focused on it and for the (Lynnwood) police as well. But the people who work at the business, work there day in and day out.”
Undercover law enforcement agents conducted four undercover investigations at Daverthumps last year and did not find any evidence of patrons being over served liquor. Lynnwood Police also made more frequent visits in uniform which is common at most bars and night clubs.
“They did work really hard at trying not to over serve people and trying to keep people from driving that looked like they were affected,” Miyasato said. “Daverthumps is about as busy a place as there is. Any place that does a large volume business, they are going to show up on the list more than other places just because of the volume.”
Frankie’s Sports Bar of Olympia (64 DUIs) now holds the number one spot on the state list. Romeo Bar &Grill of Bremerton (53 DUIs) and Lady Luck’s Cowgirl Steakhouse &Saloon (46 DUIs) followed in second and third place.
The top five is rounded out by Shotze’s of Everett (39 DUIs) and Muckleshoot Indian Casino (34 DUIs).
Daverthumps Pub is not the only Lynnwood establishment to appear in the state list’s top 20. Mondo’s Pub (26 DUIs) and The Corner Saloon (23 DUIs) ranked 12th and 16th on the list.
The highest ranking Mill Creek pub was Baxter’s, located at Bothell-Everett Highway and 132nd Street SE. It ranked 10th in the list of most cited South Snohomish County establishments.
“They used to be higher,” Mill Creek police chief Bob Crannell said. “It was higher mainly because it was the only place in town to get a drink.”
Crannell said most of Mill Creek’s DUI citations and arrests are not from locals, but from drivers passing through town on 132nd, Bothell-Everett Highway or 164th Street SE.
The list is not an accurate measure of where and how many drunk drivers are coming from because the results depend on drunk drivers being honest and accurate.
Drunk drivers who patronize Lynnwood establishments are likely over represented because the Lynnwood Police Department makes catching drunk drivers a priority, said officer Mark Brinkman. Officers are given more time to look for and arrest people who drive under the influence, he said. The department is ranked third in the state for making the most DUI arrests, he said.
“It is one of the department goals and I think is a great goal to set,” Brinkman said.
In 2004, 563 people died in traffic accidents in Washington state and 44 percent of those deaths involved alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of that total, 203 people died in accidents where at least one of the drivers had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher. That’s about 36 percent.
“Most of the time it doesn’t seem like I have to look very hard to find a DUI,” Brinkman said. “Society just seems to be numb to the fact — you don’t have too much to drink before you drive to drive drunk.”
The state list, which counts where drunk drivers claim they were served last, can indicate when a business is having a problem with over serving alcohol to patrons, Miyasato said. The State Liquor Control Board tends to pay attention to and work with businesses at the top of the list, which is why the agency and Lynnwood Police worked so closely with Daverthumps.
At many bars, including Daverthumps, servers will call taxicabs for intoxicated patrons and encourage groups to pick a designated driver, someone who does not drink any alcohol and drives the rest of the group home.
But there are limits to what bar employees can do to prevent drunk driving, Enger said. A patron who gets buzzed on a beer or two may not look or sound intoxicated, drive away and get arrested for driving under the influence, she explained.
“We do not promote over service,” Enger said. “We do not want to put people on the road who should not driving. It is not legal. But people do come here and drink obviously. It’s a bar. You have to be responsible.”
Mill Creek Enterprise editor John Santana contributed to this report.
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