Margaritas, espresso martinis and mojitos could be a permanent to-go item at Pennsylvania’s restaurants, taverns and bars.
Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania House Liquor Control Committee unanimously voted on a measure that would make mixed drinks a fixture on menus of the state’s licensed establishments.
Originally, the law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in May 2020, was designed as a temporary lifesaver during the height of the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. Now, supporters say continuing it will help restaurants rebound.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated Pennsylvania’s hospitality businesses, and it will take years for them to fully recover,” said David Wojnar, senior vice president and head of state public policy for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, in a statement.
“Cocktails to-go has proven to be a vital part of survival during COVID-19 for Pennsylvania businesses, and making this measure permanent will only provide increased stability in the future,” he said.
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The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
Under the law, establishments can sell mixed drinks in containers with a secure lid in quantities of at least 4 ounces and no more than 64 ounces before 11 p.m. It does not apply to beer or wine.
The measure applied to restaurants or hotels with liquor licenses that have lost more than 25 percent of average monthly sales during the pandemic, and remained in effect until operations exceeded 60 percent of capacity.
Pennsylvania is not the only state considering making the adult drinks permanent. Recently, governors of Georgia and Montana signed similar laws, and during the pandemic more than 30 states made cocktails to-go temporarily available.
Restaurant owners like Angelo Karagiannis of Zembie’s Tavern in Harrisburg said the ability to sell to-go drinks boosts business. He said it has been especially convenient for customers in downtown Harrisburg, since many walk from their homes to patronize establishments.
“During the pandemic for a period of time when the governor shut us down, that’s all the business I had,” he said.
The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association and Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association have applauded the idea.
John Longstreet, CEO and president of the Restaurant Association, said in the past that cocktails to-go proved to be more successful for establishments during the pandemic than originally expected. Meanwhile, the Tavern Association’s Chuck Moran said takeout food and beverages kept taverns afloat last year.
“It was the support of patrons ordering take-out or buying gift cards during the roughest days of mitigation orders that allowed many establishments to keep their heads above water,” Moran said.
Not everyone favors the idea. Phil Guarno, owner of Fenicci’s of Hershey in Derry Township, said to-go cocktails cheapen a liquor license. Plus, he said now that liquor stores are open, diners are not as interested in the takeout beverages.
He said he’d rather have the ability to sell bottles of unopened wine to-go, which requires investing in a separate license.
“I think some of the integrity of liquor licenses should go back to pre-COVID times when the owner of the license had a little better control,” Guarno said.
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to have open containers of alcohol in a vehicle and drinks must be transported in a vehicle’s trunk or other area not occupied by passengers.
Trooper Brent Miller, director of the state police communications office, said since the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement started enforcing the cocktails-to-go in May 2020, officers have issued 24 notices of violation.
The majority of those violations, he said are for serving the drinks after 11 p.m., which is a violation under the state’s Liquor Code. Miller said some of the violations were out of the Harrisburg District Enforcement Office.