Noise ordinance blamed for drop in revenues
Staff reports

CAVE CREEK – Some Cave Creek business owners who depend largely on the patronage of bikers say they’re losing money because of neighboring Carefree’s efforts to crack down on motorcycle noise.

There was no one dining at Chillibeerto’s restaurant on Friday afternoon, when the place is

normally bustling this time of year. Likewise for its parent business, The Satisfied Frog restaurant. The two establishments are situated adjacent to each other in Frontier Town along Cave Creek Road, the main thoroughfare that runs through both communities.

“We don’t see the bikers up here,” said Randy Griffith, manager of The Satisfied Frog.

According to Griffith, sales are down $15,000 this month compared to the same time period last year. The restaurant also has a beer garden which is usually packed this time of year, but there were only eight patrons there on Friday. “We’ve seen the impact just on that,” he said.

Griffith blames Carefree’s noise ordinance for the drop in sales. The town last month posted signs notifying bikers to keep the roar from their engines to 80 decibels. The signs also state violators could face fines of up to $750.

“Our business has dropped by 35 percent,” said Scott Stoller, who co‑owns The Leather Mill, a shop that primarily caters to motorcycle enthusiasts. The shop, also located in Frontier Town, has been in his family for nine years. Business these days is as slow during the holidays as it usually is in August, he said.  

Although Stoller declined to give a dollar figure on his sales slump, he did say: “It’s dead here every day.”

Stoller thinks bikers are avoiding the area out of fear of getting slapped with fines.

“Most of the bikers in town are professional people who have lots of spending money. If they’re afraid to come out here, they are not going to be spending it,” he said.

Carefree is giving motorcycle enthusiasts six months to police themselves or face a crackdown. And although town officials have lauded this education outreach as a compromise that gets thumbs up from motorcycle manufacturers, bikers and residents, others believe the initiative singles out motorcyclists.

Rick Stahl, manager of The Hideaway Grill, a popular biker bar and grill in Cave Creek, said the posted signs make it clear Carefree is targeting bikers.                  

The Carefree ordinance, passed inn 2002, applies to all types of vehicles and includes noise from vehicles such as blaring radios. The signs clearly depict a motorcycle and no other type of vehicle.

Stahl said it is “too early to tell” if the ordinance will adversely affect his business. “We won’t know until after the first of the year,” he said, adding business has fluctuated since November.

But the sales slump among some Cave Creek businesses may also have a ripple effect–a drop in sales means the town won’t collect as much in sales tax revenue.

The $15,000 drop The Satisfied Frog posted for December amounts to $450 in sales tax Cave Creek won’t be collecting.

Calls placed by The Desert Advocate seeking comment from Town Manager Usama Abujbarah were not returned.