UM students: Don’t blame Grove’s decline on closing time

While establishment owners and residential leaders spar over a mandatory 3 a.m. bar closing time in the Grove, an online survey of some of the Grove’s best customers – University of Miami students – suggests the area’s decline in popularity may not be only due to the change from the previous 5 a.m. closing time.

The unscientific poll, taken by 112 UM students on Facebook, found that 79% of students end their partying between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Only 12% of the students asked were aware of the actual time Grove establishments close and 58% said they often consider other party locations over the Grove.

While the controversial last call in question was put into effect in 2008, many bar owners are continuing to fight for a 5 a.m. closing time to match most establishments in Miami. These business owners attribute declines in sales to the ordinance that was spearheaded by Miami District 2 Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff.

In an open letter to Commissioner Sarnoff, John El-Masry, owner of Grove staple Mr. Moes, wrote,  “Your ordinance prohibiting the sale of alcohol after 3 a.m. ONLY in the Coconut Grove SD-2 Special District (downtown Coconut Grove) is killing that village center…the Grove is in a crisis.”

Bar and restaurant owners are not the only ones protesting this law; student groups are against it as well. A petition against the mandatory closing has even sprung up on Facebook.  Created in December 2009, the group “Keep the Grove Alive!”, currently has over 400 members . In its description, creator and UM student Sanjay Kumar Palta, wrote, “We all miss the old days of Coconut Grove, and are petitioning with the city to change the laws back to 5 a.m., like the rest of Miami.”

Regardless of closing time, many other UM students are opting to venture into other locales around Miami for their nighttime jaunts.

The Miami Hurricane, the UM-student newspaper, reported that a poll conducted last fall showed a 20 to 30 percent drop in usage for the Ibis, the shuttle or “Drunk Bus” that transports UM students from campus into the Grove from Thursday to Saturday.

Several students say they have simply outgrown the Grove.

“I leave at 3 a.m., anyway,” said senior Stephanie Schiffman. “After sophomore year I was burnt out and didn’t feel the need to stay out so late anymore.”

Ongoing developments in South Beach and South Miami, two near-by nightlife destinations, may also be held responsible for the decline in the Grove’s popularity.

“If it’s South Beach I’ll stay until they kick me out, but when I’m in the Grove it’s like I go to the same three bars. It gets monotonous,” said junior Christina Crocco.

Sophomore Winston Bernard agrees.

“I’ve been hanging out at other spots now,” he said. “There’s this really cool spot called Purdy Lounge in Miami Beach. It’s a much better vibe than the frat-infested Grove.”

Despite the waning interest and unkown fate of the Grove’s bar scene, the slew of students still crowding the streets of the Grove on Thursday nights prove the area has yet to be written off completely.

For junior Nick Diaz, the Grove will always come first.

“If the Grove was open until 10 a.m., I’d still be there getting plastered,” he said.

Ben Velazquez contributed to this article.