Justin Fox Burks
Want to-go booze to last forever?
Well, so does a fast-growing Facebook group that has a petition with hundreds of signatures.
Drinks-To-Go-Forever in TN was launched Thursday, May 7th. It had 123 members as of Wednesday morning. The group’s petition asks Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to extend the temporary order to sell alcoholic beverage for off-premises consumption in perpetuity. That is, they want bars and restaurants to always be able to sell booze to-go and for delivery.
”We understand that the statutes regulating alcohol in the Tennessee state code are complex and that careful planning and compromises on all sides will need to be made in order to further this goal, but we believe it is time to open the dialogue and begin the process of saving jobs and businesses in Tennessee,” reads the petition at change.org.
The petition aimed to get 1,000 signatures and had 926 Wednesday morning.
Allowing such sales isn’t just for fun, though. The petition describes the tough world in which restaurants and bars have operated after lockdown orders fell in late March. ”Limited capacities in dining rooms, health screenings prior to entry, and increased reliance on third-party delivery services all have the effect of draining profitability from an enterprise that relies on face-to-face interactions, cash tips, and filling seats,” reads the petition.
Jake Smith, the administrator of the Drinks To-Go Forever Facebook group, said the petition had 55 signatures Tuesday morning and had 678 Tuesday evening. He said in a post that the increase was “a clear sign that our message is catching on.”
The idea is catching on in other places, too. Those in the Facebook group pointed to this tweet from Texas Governor Greg Abbott:
Alcohol-to-go sales can continue after May 1.
From what I hear from Texans, we may just let this keep on going forever.#txlege
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 29, 2020
New Group Wants To-Go Booze ‘Forever’
Also, they pointed to a statement by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week.
“I allowed [bars and restaurants] to deliver alcohol. I think that’s been pretty popular. We’re probably going to keep that going,” DeSantis said, according to a story from WTSP. “Maybe we’ll have the legislature change the law on that.”
To learn more about making to-go booze permanent here, check out this fact sheet from Drinks To-Go Forever in TN:
[pdf-1]