Pandemic’s Boozy Legacy: To-Go Alcohol Could Stick Around In New York, Texas

TOPLINE

Many areas across the country have allowed restaurants and bars to sell alcohol either to go or for delivery while dine-in business has shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, though some are looking to make the change permanent, even as dining rooms begin to reopen.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

Alcohol to-go has been met with positive reactions in many areas, especially New York City, and has been seen as a major lifeline for keeping restaurants and bars from going out of business.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, most restaurants will try to make alcohol sales account for around 30% of their revenue, though this revenue channel is typically cut off for take out orders, which is becoming an increasingly popular way of ordering from restaurants — especially with options like UberEats, Postmates and Door Dash that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

TANGENT

Despite photos on social media that might make it seem otherwise, simply allowing to-go orders of alcoholic beverages doesn’t make it legal to drink while walking down the street or sitting in a public park, unless laws are already on the books saying you can do so. In almost all of the country, though, allowing that would call for a change in open container laws, and it doesn’t seem there is much of an appetite among lawmakers to do that yet.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

It’s unclear when permanent measures might be voted on, as state legislatures are still figuring out how they plan to reconvene.

FURTHER READING

Coronavirus News: Push to make ‘alcohol to go’ permanent in NY state (WABC-TV)

Cheers! Texans may be able to order alcohol to go ‘forever,’ Gov. Abbott tweets (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Michigan Lawmakers Propose Bills for To-Go Cocktails and ‘Social Districts’ for Outdoor Drinking (Eater Detroit)