Melting the ice rumor

The student body at Northwestern is chock full of rumors about how Burger King is the only restaurant to remain open after last call. Most prominent among them is the notion that selling bags of ice allows BK to operate as a convenience store and thus skirt the late-night dining laws.

As with most of life’s questions, the correct answer comes from a mid-level municipal bureaucrat. Rodney Greene, city clerk for Evanston, recently shed some light on the subject. Simply put, there are no laws that automatically forbid a restaurant in Evanston to stay open after last call. All that’s required is is an application for a specil use permit from City Council.

And yes, Greene buys ice from BK.