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Thursday, March 26, 2020 www.nabca.org • Virginia liquor stores reducing hours amid coronavirus response • Alcohol restrictions frustrate restaurants trying to survive pandemic TODAY’S • Dan Murphy's and BWS Have Introduced Limits on Alcohol to Discourage Hoarding HIGHLIGHTS • Nielsen Says Beverage Alcohol Retail Sales Are Soaring During The Crisis • What constitutes 'essential businesses'? States seem to have varying standards (excerpt) 19, the state says it’s reducing hours and working to NABCA NEWS develop curbside pickup options. ! 83rd ANNUAL CONFERENCE The State Liquor Commission is also allowing With the continuing and evolving impact of restaurants and bars to return some of its inventory COVID-19 across the US and the imposed bought in the past 30 days. In-person dining was mandates that prevent public gatherings to banned as of March 17, normally one of the busiest curb the spread of the virus, the NABCA’s days of the year for bars and restaurants. 83rd Annual Conference has been canceled. Visit the NABCA website for more details. Under a temporary order, restaurants are allowed to sell beer and wine to go with food orders, but mixed-drinks and hard liquor aren’t allowed. TTB Alcohol Trade Practice Video Series “The commission is aware that on-premises TTB provides on-demand alcohol educational licensees may have a larger inventory of liquor or information beverages on hand than what will reasonably be Videos: https://www.ttb.gov/news/see-our-new- needed to meet anticipated demand,” a note to ttb-trade-practice-video-series) licensees reads. “In many cases, this inventory was purchased prior to the imposition of these NABCA WEBINAR restrictions.” NEW! Women. Alcohol. Health. - From Blackouts to CEO Tom Boucher said Great New Hampshire Breast Cancer. webinar is now available on our Restaurants plans to return about $50,000 worth of website. Visit liquor inventory. www.nabca.org/Resources/Webinars “It is just sitting on the shelves right now doing nothing,” he said. “If we can return that and get CONTROL STATE NEWS $50,000 into our accounts to continue to pay for our salaried managers and all of our overhead costs like NH: NH Liquor and Wine Outlets look at curbside rent, loans, health insurance and liability insurance, pickup. Restaurants can return unopened booze we will. All those expenses come in whether we New Hampshire Union Leader have customers or not.” By Jonathan Phelps The group, which operates T-Bone’s, Copper Door, March 25, 2020 CJ’s Great West Grill and Cactus Jack’s, is taking While some on social media want the state to close advantage of the order to sell beer and wine to go. its liquor stores to help slow the spread of COVID- Both measures are seen as a way to help restaurants that have either temporarily shut down or only 2 offering takeout, said E.J. Powers, a spokesman for VA: Virginia liquor stores reducing hours amid the liquor commission. coronavirus response “The commission recognizes the unprecedented WTOP situation we’re facing with COVID-19,” he said. By Jeff Clabaugh March 25, 2020 Restaurants can return unopened bottles to stores. Larger returns can be arranged through the Virginia’s state-run liquor stores will reduce hours at commission’s warehousing partner, DHL. all 388 Virginia ABC stores in the state beginning March 27. Powers was unable to say how many returns have been made as of Wednesday. “There are some Most stores are currently open from 10 a.m. to 10 restaurants that have taken advantage of that, while p.m. As of Friday, the hours will be from noon to 7 others are weathering the storm and anxiously p.m. The stores will remain open seven days a week. looking forward to reopening,” Powers said. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority says the The Liquor and Wine Outlets remain open from 11 shorter hours will allow for more cleaning and to a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday at all locations. address store staffing issues. Sunday hours vary by location. ABC had already canceled all in-store tasting events. Sales are “brisk,” Powers said, with some customers Earlier this week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam taking advantage of the “Bottle Bucks” sale (for ordered nonessential businesses to close across the every $150 spent customers receive $25 in Bottle state, including gyms, theaters, bowling alleys and Bucks for a later purchase). barbershops. Liquor stores were deemed essential “We’ve observed some customers stocking up,” he and allowed to stay open. said. On March 19, Virginia ABC closed one store in Rosemary Wiant, the commission’s chief operating downtown Richmond after the roommate of an officer, said during a virtual meeting with executive employee tested positive for COVID-19. The liquor councilors Tuesday that employees have been given agency reports no other cases involving store guidance about how to try and create distance at employees. checkout lines. There are currently no restrictions on privately “We have been actively working on developing a owned liquor stores in Maryland or the District. curbside solution for this particular event we are dealing with,” she said. “There would be much more control over the transaction much along the lines of IA: Gov. Reynolds grants temporary relief to Iowa Hannaford (Supermarkets) To-Go model, and that’s bars and restaurants impacted by COVID-19 being developed right now.” News Release The state is also looking at ways to expand Alcoholic Beverages Division purchases of alcohol through the state’s online March 25, 2020 portal, Gov. Chris Sununu said. (ANKENY) – Governor Kim Reynolds issued a State of All liquor store employees who aren’t comfortable Public Health Emergency declaration on March 19 with working at the retail checkout counter are granting temporary relief to Iowa bars and given other tasks in the store, he said. restaurants impacted by mitigation efforts related to COVID-19. “We are trying to give all the flexibility in the world to our employees to make sure they are safe,” he “We thank Governor Reynolds for giving us said. additional regulatory flexibility to assist our licensees during this difficult time,” said ABD Administrator Stephen Larson. “We stand ready to immediately implement these relief measures.” 3 The declaration authorizes the following: “A friend who owns a liquor store told me he’s concerned about the state closing his store,” Carol • Bars, restaurants and other alcohol retailers Niznik of Coon Rapids said while shopping at the holding a class “C” liquor license issued by ABD liquor outlet next to a Cub Foods in St. Louis Park on may sell alcoholic liquor and wine in original, Monday evening. unopened containers for carry-out, curb-side pickup, drive-through or home delivery without “It’s not for me to say if liquor is an essential, but obtaining an additional license, permit or what if we do a shutdown like New York?” she privilege. Class “C” liquor licensees already have asked. the authority to sell beer in original, unopened When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday told containers for off-premises consumption. New Yorkers to stay home as much as possible, • Breweries, brewpubs and beer retailers may fill liquor and convenience stores were told they could and sell growlers or crowlers of beer to-go remain open. without requiring an in-person sales transaction. In his daily news conference, Walz on Tuesday • Beer barrel tax and wine gallonage tax reporting afternoon said he’s still considering if and when to and remittance is temporarily deferred. issue a shelter-in-place order. A spokesman later said the details, including its effects on liquor stores, • Seasonal and temporary alcohol license and are also unresolved. permit holders may request a refund of their license or permit fees. But the prospect of being cut off from alcohol supplies has loomed larger for Minnesotans since More information on these changes, as well as any Walz last week ordered bars and restaurants to future changes connected to alcoholic beverages, close except for takeout orders. can be found online on ABD’s COVID-19 Updates webpage at https://abd.iowa.gov/covid-19- “Whenever the governor speaks, people think we’re updates. going to close,” said Jennifer Schoenzeit, owner of Zipps Liquors in Minneapolis. LICENSE STATE NEWS Last Friday, that fear produced a shopping frenzy from which some stores were still recovering on MN: Minnesotans storm liquor stores, and an Tuesday. 'essential' debate emerges "Whenever the governor speaks, people think we're going “It was mayhem,” said Judd Greenagel, owner of to close," said Jennifer Schoenzeit, owner of Zipps Liquors Liquor Boy in St. Louis Park, which experienced the in Minneapolis. highest sales in its eight-year history. Star Tribune “People were tripping over each other and breaking By John Ewoldt things,” said Brenda ¬Visnovec, manager of Lake- March 25, 2020 ville’s municipal liquor stores. “As it got closer to the A line of socially distant customers formed outside governor’s 2 p.m. speech, you could see the hordes of Surdyk’s in Minneapolis last Friday as the store of people coming in.” limited how many customers could be inside at Shoppers got so out of control that municipal stores once. in Lakeville, Edina, Brooklyn Center, Elk River and Minnesotans stormed the state’s liquor stores over Columbia Heights closed temporarily. the past week, leaving some in complete disarray as Visnovec said her staff needed time out to figure out shoppers stocked up in the face of the coronavirus. proper sanitizing, limits on the number of people in Now, drinkers and distributors alike wonder: If Gov. stores, and curbside pickup and delivery. Lakeville’s Tim Walz orders Minnesotans to “shelter in place,” liquor stores reopened Tuesday and, barring an will the places that sell beer, wine and liquor get to order from Walz, will stay open Mondays through stay open as “essential services”? Saturdays.