MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
At a new bar in St. Louis, customers don't pay by the drink. They pay by the hour, and they can drink as much as they want in that time. Of course, that raises concerns about people overdoing it. Jonathan Ahl of St. Louis Public Radio went to see the bar for himself.
JONATHAN AHL, BYLINE: It's a Saturday night on Cherokee Street in St. Louis. It's an artsy neighborhood with lots of taquerias, coffeeshops and bars, and the newest bar here is called Open Concept. Its brightly lit with a tin ceiling and white walls. There are TVs broadcasting sports, and you can play vintage video games that are projected on the wall. Tonight there are about 50 people here sitting and talking and playing board games and cards. First-time bar owner Michael Butler says he opened this business because he wanted to create a welcoming and affordable place.
MICHAEL BUTLER: We have a very diverse crowd every night, and we really like that. One thing you find in St. Louis is that bar crowds can be a little segregated. We wanted this space to be a space where everyone can feel comfortable and everyone can afford it and everyone can have a good time.
AHL: Open Concept works like this. You check in at the door, show your ID and give them your name and phone number. It costs $10 an hour, or $20 an hour if you want higher-end drinks. Then you get a text message when your time to drink has started. When you want a drink, you go to the bar. They check your name and give you your order. Kyle Fisher is visiting St. Louis and heard about this bar and thinks it's a great deal.
KYLE FISHER: I bought two hours for myself and my wife. My wife's had three drinks. I've had four. So I think we've gotten our money's worth, but we haven't done it to the point where we've overdone it.
AHL: Overdoing it is a concern for some. Jessica Lucas is with the addiction counseling group Prevention Specialists of Missouri. She says allowing and even encouraging people to drink too much is irresistible for some and can be dangerous.
JESSICA LUCAS: As a society, we've been taught to get the most out of our money, and so it encourages unlimited drinking. And any time you have more than five drinks in an hour, it's considered binge drinking, which is detrimental to health.
AHL: But supporters of the concept say that's not what's happening. Jenisha McKinney and her friends have been here for two hours tonight. She says they're having fun and actually not drinking as much as they thought they would.
JENISHA MCKINNEY: Since it's so lit up and you have games and cards and - it's just more alive than other bars. The other bars, you feel like, I need another drink.
AHL: Parnell Foots is here with a date. He says while all-you-can-drink may sound dangerous, there are much cheaper ways to get drunk if that's your goal.
PARNELL FOOTS: You would just take $10, get some cheap liquor, down it real quick and you can be at that level you want to be at. But this is - I don't really see that being a problem, especially the people here. Like, you can look around now, and everybody's just casually drinking and talking, so I don't foresee it being a problem.
AHL: Owner Michael Butler says he's done his homework on this. They're not afraid to cut someone off or not serve them if they think they're impaired. He says his lawyers have told him he isn't exposed to increased liability because of the setup. Butler says so far, his customers are averaging only two drinks an hour. That's a number that he says bodes well to make the bar profitable and also keep things from getting out of hand. Butler also says this is a new way to run a bar and has ambitious plans to open dozens of new bars in the next few years.
For NPR News, I'm Jonathan Ahl in St. Louis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.