Booze-to-go could stay legal in Tennessee through 2023 pending Senate action on a bill that passed the House Thursday.
Last year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issued a temporary order to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption. The effort was a way to help restaurants and bars struggling in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown orders. Lee then temporarily extended the order in perpetuity.
A new bill would extend to-go and delivery sales of cocktails, wine, and beer until July 1, 2023. The bill passed on the House floor Thursday and is still working through the Senate committee system.
The fiscal note for the legislation projects to-go beverages could yield more than $4.6 million in state and local taxes in the next year. That projection lowers revenue from these sales to just under $3 million for 2022 and to $1.9 million in 2023.
Drinks would still have be sold with food in the same order. They must be packaged in a container with a lid or cap to “prevent consumption.” The order will not allow for the to-go sales of bottles of liquor.
No drinks will be sold to those under 21 or to those who are visibly intoxicated. Also, businesses that sell to-go drinks must post a ”conspicuous sign” reading, “a driver shall not consume alcoholic beverages or beer while operating a motor vehicle in this state.”
“Cocktails to-go has provided a much-needed lifeline for struggling hospitality businesses and prevented the permanent closure of many in Tennessee,” said Kristi Brown, senior director of state government relations with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. “Extending cocktails to-go provides hospitality businesses with increased stability as they begin the long path to economic recovery. We applaud the Tennessee House for passing this consumer- and business-friendly measure.”
Justin Fox Burks