1996_03 Insight March 1966

              f
MARCH 6,1996
Lifestyle
Coffee houses no longer the same old grind
by Cathy Isom
Staff Writer
Dishes and silverware clashed. Bright
yellow furnished booths filled with the buzz of voices.
Waitresses hollered at the cooks.
Coffee shops today have come along way from this
scenario to one more suited lor the 90s.
There arc over a dozen coffee shops throughout the
Fresno area, some of winch arc now called "coffee
houses-
Going to a coffee shop used lo mean waiting for a
table and waitress. In a coffee h'otise. wailing to be
sealed is a thing of the past.
With more on the menu than just regular or
decaffeinated, coffee drinkers can now enjov a wide
coiiilbrtabl
The new
ave the option ol t
\!1
I' this, while sipping
variety of gourmet coffees and flavors. Cappuccino,
mocha, latie and espresso are available lo satisfy every taste bud.
Coffee house frequenters also enjoy the atmosphere. Prices vary from place to place. The average price for a regular cup at coffee houses and
shops in Fresno, is S1.03. Gourmet coffees start at
approximately $1.25
Rod Hesketi frequents The Daily Grind, located next
to California Slate I Inivcrsity. Fresno, on his days off
from substitute teaching. Ordering his favorite, raspberry mocha. Heskelt stirs and sips his coffee while
talking to owner Mall McComas. Heskelt enjoys socializing in his lavoritc coffee shop.
Satisfied with thc service and personable setting.
Heskelt describes The Dailv Grind as not just another
business.
"I love this place." Hesketi said "It's a quality col-
fee house, meaning the coffee is excellent and you
Insight photo by Tommielynn Del Real
Helping a customer at The Daily Grind. Daniella Palomino (right) has worked at the local coffee shop
for the past few months.
leel welcome here. The employees want you lo feel wel- room There is also a computet lor those who wish to
come. Just look around " connect to the Internet for ahoul S7 an hour.
There is wall-to-wall artwork by local artists. A chess Fresno State students are able to enjoy thc on campus
game is set up al ihe bar for Ihe customers lo challenge the Coffee House and Pub.
bartender. Many tables, and a couple of sofas, accent the Coffee bartender Victoria Carrillo. a sophomore ma-
.-oflecm.iki
irk. dashes back and forth from cus-
the line runs halfway back to
"Students love this place." Carrillo said. "They love
5 coffee and become addicted to the caffeine It's also
treal place to hang with friends."
Carrillo. coffee bartender for about a year, said the
ist popular drink on campus is cafe mocha.
Ihe Coffee House and Pub is always adding to their
Even with the new trend in coffee houses, older cof-
! shops don't feel threatened, though.
Klein's truck slop, located at Highway Wat Hemdon
enue. has been around since the early 60s.  Truck
vers, travelers and farmers frequent the coffee shop
Roger Jameson, a fanner, worked on his second decaf,
while he shared a laugh with a waitress.
"This is my second home." Jameson said. "I have
probablv one meal a day here. I love this place. I'll probably come here for another 20 years."
Jameson, perfectly aware that coffee houses are becoming popular, does nol believe thev will replace old-
sty le coffee shops, such as Klein's. '
The Daily Grind's usual morning crowd is not only
tudci
In lhc
and i
i's about 65 percent business
id. "Mid-afternoons are 95 pcr-
enings are the 18-and-older
and convenience may contribute to the ne
cc houses are located throughout the mos
t'eled and populated areas,
treet Coffee & Tea is centrally located ii
ion Fa
tail's n
n the
borderedr
and Black
There ai
r District, one of Fresno's
intersections. Shaw
s near Fresno State.
Its all in the cards
State holds strong hand in cardroom gambling games
I Percentage games
like Pai Gow draw
harsh criticism
by David Johnson
.Staff Writer
His thick, shun lingers have the tcx-
. lure of worn leather, and his hands
move with a deli-learned quickness
s lhal viol
olloi
IS lhc I
ick and
slide al will.
The cards build into seven stacks
of seven on the burgundy, fell table.
Charlie Yanoyaii. owner til the Van
Ness Club. Fresno's oldest card room,
finishes dealing an exhibition game
of Pai Gow poker vv ith a final Hick of
Russian roulette with cards
Games, such as Pai Ciovv poker, are
last-moving card games. In the case
Of Pai Gow. ihe player is deall seven
cards and must play those seven as
defined in the rules'
On one hand, a player can only
bet a maximum of $200. hut on Pai
Gow   there are slots for eight bets
for one hand. A last moving dealer
i deal up io 40 games an hour.
"Club One needs high stake games
to stay in business because of the high
overhead. They say that they don't
make a loi of money, and lhat everyone is a winner. Well, they lie." said
Vanoyan.
Excluded games were games in
which mostly chance was involved.
Percentage games, games where the
house could win a percentage of the
pot. and banking games could also be
excluded
The list of percentage games includes slot-machines, anv form of
1 standard blackjack.
The reasoning behind this sectic
is summed up in ihe literature of tl
penal code: "...In counties with
large population, problems to il
playing of draw poker ... arc ... di
ferenl from the problems in smalli
Van
Bee
said.
e the card n
II.
:e let
Fresno's legalized gambling
In May I'm. a proposal was
brough! before the Fresno City Council to allow card rooms in the C-4
downtown, commercial district of
Fresno.
In 1995. the Fresno City Council,
spearheaded by council members Bob
Lung and Brian Setencich. adopted an
ordinance that would allow poker-oriented card rooms within the citv lim-
Vau.
"Gambling isrgcreajion,
said. "There are no gamblers
winners. If you want gambling
biers are losers, no mallei how you
Vanoyan philosophizes in the vv ake
of the recenilv passed card room ordinance of Fresno. The ordinance,
which allows minimized gambling,
does nol seem to be accomplishing
what il set out to do. according to
Vanoyan.
The newer card rooms in Fresno
bend ihe rules of the ordinance by
maximizing profits and by playing
games that can be considered percentage games, said Vanoyan.
"Gambling. I look at as entertain-
s a perc
ve the.
ir house-
I the bets, fast-
l advantage. In ihese games, no skill is used
and a player merely bets on the per-
centage that thev will receive a winning hand. Vanoyan said.
in Fresno of playing percentage
games, a type of games still prohibited by law.
"Pai Gow is like Russian roulette."
said Vanoyan.
The Van Ness Club does nol allow
Pai Gow to be played on its tables.
California law
Until 1991. the California slate penal code only allowed certain card
games to be played for money in California. Vanoyan said these games.
amended the penal code in various
sections to omit poker-oriented card
games from the list of illegal games
In section 337. counties of less than
four million residents are allow ed per-
mit draw-poker-type card games
within county limils.
There are. under the new state law.
36 games that can be played legally
in licensed card rooms throughout the
state. Games include California
Blackjack. Texas Hold 'em and various forms of slud and draw poker.
According lo the California Business and Professions Code, in section
19801. the state provides minimum
regulations of gamiiig~eodes. This
leaves the city lo implement further
restrictions, fines, actions and ordinances, which Fresno does in the
cardroom ordinance.
ts of Fresno.
The card r
cil member Setencich.
isdesi
of free enter]
The ordin;
mize the detrimental effects of gambling, both morally and economically,
in accordance with Standards ill bolh
the California penal code and ihe
California business and professions
code.
The Van Ness Club has only recently received its gaming permit
from the city. Vanoyan described the
permit process as laking a long time
because extensive background re-
Ihe Van Ness Club r
Computer-Repair Technician (Part-Time)
Technology Service Solutions (TSS) has openings serving the Fresno area We are
seeking qualified candidates lor part-time positions in ihe area ol Point ol Sale
maintenance and service. Musi have a basic operational knowledge of personal
computers, primers and displays, as well as an aptitude lor customer service.
including excellent communication skills. Hours are flexible. May reqm
some evenings and weekend hours. Salary is S8 50 ♦
experience and education, plus mileage at 27 5c per i
have a valid driver's license and reliable transportalioi
„     _.   ■ , Connie Cocebick.TSS, HRG
Send or fax      1320 s. 275™ Pi.
resumes to:      Keif. WA 98032
"~T: 206-946-8156
I $5 Students w/ID       $7 General
ceived us permit in early February,
well after the other clubs opened.
Vanoyan said he lost some of his btisi-
"Thej cot used to ihe bic action.
Pretty soon they II come back. They II
realize lhat slow is better." Vanoyan
Until the new ordinance, the Van
Ness Club was the onlv card room in
the city of Fresno. In fact, ihe original gaming ordinance allowed only
seven card tables within city limits,
said Thousand Friends oi Fresno
spokesperson Diana Stasell.
Issue for the voters
Headed by Rob Dwyer. the Thousand Friends of Fresno has spearheaded legislation thai would bring
the matter of the ordinance to the bal-
lot box. rather than the city council.
"The people hav e a right to v ote on
this issue." Stasell said.'"The people-
should hav e a choice."
ln November, immediate!) follow
ing the implementation of the ordinance, the Thousand Friends of
Fresno attempted, first by referendum
and then by initiative, to bring the issue before voters.
Stasell said this was because of a
lack of personnel to collect signatures
and the existence of "deadwood" voters in the registration office.
Registered "deadwood" are voters
who have either moved or died since
the last registration census. They are
therefore unavailable to petitioners for
signatures.
To complete a petition, the Thousand Friends of Fresno needed a particular percentage of voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election. Because of the 'deadwood.'- they
actually needed a greater percentage
of actual voters than originally
thought, said Stasell.
The move to bring the issue before
the voters is not dead yet
"There is some current litigation."
Stasell said.
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