As Covid-19 restrictions lift across the Commonwealth, many citizens are looking forward to socializing in settings that have been closed or limited for the past year. Local restaurants and bars are some of the establishments that people are looking most forward to frequenting.
Thankfully, for the hard-hit restaurant industry, indoor dining and extended service hours have come back. Further great news for the restaurant industry is that a recent bill signed into law by Governor Northam will allow restaurants and bars to continue offering alcoholic drinks to-go – a practice that was strictly forbidden under the pre-Covid alcoholic beverage control laws.
The bill will allow restaurants to continue to sell mixed alcoholic drinks and premixed wine for takeout and delivery until July 1, 2022. The same bill establishes a commission to study the effects of this law change to potentially extend the practice past the July 1, 2022 expiration date.
The content of the bill can be summarized as follows:
Alcoholic beverage control; sale and delivery of mixed beverages and pre-mixed wine for off-premises consumption. Allows distillers that have been appointed as agents of the Board of Directors (the Board) of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (the Authority), mixed beverage restaurant licensees, and limited mixed beverage restaurant licensees to sell mixed beverages for off-premises consumption and deliver such mixed beverages to consumers subject to requirements set forth in the bill. The bill allows the Board to summarily revoke a licensee’s privileges to sell and deliver mixed beverages for off-premises consumption for noncompliance with the requirements set forth in the bill or applicable provisions of current law. The bill also allows farm winery licensees to sell pre-mixed wine for off-premises consumption. The bill directs the Authority to convene a work group to study the sale and delivery of mixed beverages and pre-mixed wine for off-premises consumption and report its findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services by November 1, 2021. The provisions of this bill sunset on July 1, 2022.
If you have questions about law changes that will go into effect July 1, 2021, please contact the attorneys of Winslow, McCurry & MacCormac PLLC at (804)423-1382 or email us at info@wmmlegal.com.
