While banning unlimited drink specials was supported by members of the Ames City Council at its meeting Tuesday, it is opposed by Campustown bar owners.

A proposed ordinance brought forward by the City Council would eliminate unlimited drink specials, such as “Ladies Night” and “alcohol buffets.” Ames bar owners said the ordinance is ill-conceived.

Scott Davis, employee at Big Shots, said the ordinance will create a bigger problem than it would solve. Davis said bars aren’t the problem.

“Bartenders have the discretion to cut people off after they’ve had enough. That won’t happen at a private party,” he said.

Davis said if the resolution is passed by the city council, student drinking won’t be cut down. Instead, it will merely spread out over a wider area.

The elimination of drink buffets, he said, will simply move a student drinking from bars, which are controlled environments, to house parties where there is no supervision.

“[If passed, the ordinance] could potentially increase binge drinking related problems,” said Wendell Mosby, employee at Big Shots. “We’d never let someone drink until they were legally dead.”

Currently, Big Shots, 2522 Chamberlain St., has an all-you-can-drink special each Thursday night. Men pay a $6 cover charge at the door and women pay $5 Mosby said.

“Some bars in Des Moines have unlimited drink specials three times a week, while we only do it once a week,” Davis said.

Mosby said it is presumptive to correlate binge drinking to alcohol buffets. The real problems with alcohol occur during major events, not drink specials, he said.

“We see the drinking related problems when Iowa State beats Nebraska or during New Year’s Eve, not during drink specials,” Mosby said.

Michael Adams, manager of Welch Avenue Station, 207 Welch Ave., said he sees the city’s actions as a growing trend across America.

“Ten years ago these drink specials were eliminated in New England and we’re finally starting to see the effects,” he said.

Adams said Welch Avenue Station supports responsible drinking and it is unfortunate the city has to consider an ordinance to encourage it.

Scott Griffin, owner of Corner Pocket, said the ordinance was suggested with good intentions, but the city needs to ascertain where the problem of binge drinking is really coming from.

Bars run 50 percent profit margins on drinks, while Hy-Vee or Sam’s Club only run 3-5 percent profits on alcohol, he said.

“Students don’t die due to alcohol poisoning in bars — they do it at home or in their dorm rooms,” Griffin said. “We have liability issues to deal with that grocery stores and convenience stores don’t.”

Griffin said eliminating drink buffets won’t reduce alcohol consumption, it will only relocate it.

“Prohibition didn’t work, did it?” he said.