HOTSPOT CHANGIN' WITH TIMES: FROM PEOPLE'S CAFE TO THE TASTE LOUNGE; TASTE OWNER SAYS LOUNGE GETTING UNFAIR REPUTATION

Things won't change if the Taste Restaurant and Lounge, located at 402 Good Hope, loses its liquor license, according to owner Michael Pryor.

Pryor said Police Chief Rick Hetzel's recommendation not to renew his license to sell liquor by the drink will alleviate few of the problems that occur along Good Hope and the surrounding neighborhood.

In making his recommendation in April, Hetzel told the City Council that police are consistently called to the lounge for assaults, drug violations, thefts, peace disturbances, property damages and trespassing complaints.

Pryor said Hetzel gave him a list of the incidents, many of which occurred in the vicinity of the lounge rather than inside. Others involved motorists and had nothing to do with The Taste, he said.

"Somebody might have walked out of The Taste, then something happened to them in the street, and it's my fault," Pryor said. "There's just as many or more incidents that's happening at Don's 24 (a convenience store at Morgan Oak and South Sprigg that does not sell liquor). Evidently, alcohol must not be the problem."

What is a problem, Pryor said, is the diverse group of people who loiter along a four-block area of Good Hope near The Taste. The groups are most prevalent on summer evenings and on weekends, including Sundays, when Pryor's business is closed.

Some of the people are customers who head directly to the club after leaving their cars. Others wait especially on Thursdays, ladies night at The Taste to see who else is going to the club. Many won't enter The Taste at all, choosing instead to socialize in small groups along the street.

Some people continue to linger long after the nightclub closes.

"I pick up trash everyday outside my club and about a block in either direction," Pryor said. "I don't sell six-packs and small bottles, 40 ounces, half-pints, paper bags and cartons. I sell strictly by the drink and glass, so that can't be mine."

Although he said he does what he can to encourage those loitering in the neighborhood to get in their cars, or better yet, to come inside the club, Pryor said he's not in a position to "make grown people do anything they don't want to."

"There isn't a curfew for folks over 21 years old, for adults," he said. "It needs to be enforced about sitting on top of cars and drinking, and that would deter a lot of hanging out, if that's the problem."

The stretch of Good Hope between Lorimier and South Sprigg has long been a gathering spot for residents of southeast Cape Girardeau. A shade tree that provided a resting and conversation spot for people about a half-block away from Pryor's club was knocked down about a decade ago, as were dilapidated businesses opposite The Taste that once had been favored, neighborhood walk-in restaurants.

"People hang out because of tradition," Pryor said. "Good Hope has been where the black community hangs out, at least ever since I've been coming to Cape over the past 20 years."

The building The Taste now occupies is steeped in tradition. In 1990, Pryor purchased a successful business from J.T. and Lessie Nelson, an aging couple who decided to close their People's Cafe after serving up soul food there for 34 years.

The Nelson's had a devoted following that had included such famous diners as Duke Ellington and the Harlem Globetrotters in the past. Pryor figured he would have an instant success.

Rather than compete with memories of Lessie Nelson's fried chicken and other favorite meals, Pryor decided to update the business. He hired a disc jockey, brought in a pool table, and started charging an entry fee at the door. He also obtained a license to sell liquor by the drink.

"The people wanted someplace to go, not just to eat, but to socialize and dance," Pryor said. "There's not a lot of places for black people to go in this area."

At first, the place was a hit. Like the People's Cafe, The Taste attracted a steady stream of mostly-black patrons who lived in southeast Cape Girardeau.

But as word spread that there was a new nightclub that played rhythm-and-blues music, others came as well.

People flocked inside and around the club, especially on Thursdays for ladies' night specials.

"(Patrons included) some college students, some from out of neighboring towns," said Pryor. "White people come to my club, too."

Loitering in the neighborhood picked up, as did littering. There's no parking lot at The Taste, so customers park on the street three blocks in either direction.

Pryor said the increasingly-diverse clientele, coupled with the changes in the surrounding neighborhood, were not good for his business.

"I've had years when everything was cool, then after about three or four years, I had a rowdy bunch in there, but I started barring my hotheads out. That's what I'm doing right now," he said.

Pryor claims he's not getting enough credit for other changes he's made to improve his establishment. A bouncer frisks men and uses a metal detector wand to check female customers as they enter, and employees monitor the crowds for possible fights or other problems.

Pryor said he informs patrolmen when he anticipates a larger-than-normal crowd, and he and his disc jockey also make announcements alerting people about the possibility of losing "the only black club in town."

"People are kind of on their best behavior now because they know if we lose this, we don't have anything else," he said. "I've been putting out a lot of awareness, and that's been working lately.

"My business is not perfect, but it's not out of control like the Chief is trying to lead people to believe," Pryor said.