These are dry times in Orange County,...
These are dry times in Orange County, and it’s not just the drought. Sales figures from local hotels and liquor stores point to a significant decline in alcohol consumption over the past three years.
Hotels have seen their beverage revenues decline 17.1% from a peak of $8.61 per occupied room in 1987 to $7.14 last year. The drop-off has been aggravated by increasing competition in the industry, which has reduced occupancy rates countywide and pushed down total beverage revenues for many hotels.
Similarly, the dollar value of liquor store sales in the county fell 7.8% from 1987 to 1990. The reduction was accompanied by a consolidation in the number of liquor stores, from 479 three years ago to 450 in 1989.
Sources: State Board of Equalization and Pannell Kerr Forster
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