Placer Co. Brewery Reopening Despite Restrictions By Serving Hot Dogs

Placer County brewery reopens as "dining establishment" by serving hot dogs
Photo credit Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Napa and Solano counties are just two of the many counties across California that are starting to lift restrictions on in-house dining. 

Breweries and wineries are still not allowed to open tasting rooms under the state’s guidelines, but the Moksa Brewing Company in Placer County has found a workaround: hot dogs.

“The ABC (California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) kinda relaxed some of the catering laws so they’re basically providing catering in the cheapest way possible for our customers to enjoy beer,” says Derrick Gallon, head brewer and manager at Moksa. 

When the taproom reopens today, each order will have to include a $2.50 hotdog in an effort to comply with local health orders.

“Every receipt just has to have a meal on it,” he says.

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As many of you know, Placer County has been given the green light by the Governor to loosen its business related restrictions. This Thursday May 21st Moksa Brewing Co will be reopening our taproom for on site consumption and welcoming back the customers that we miss and love. Our staff is currently being trained on the proper cleaning processes which have been set by the ABC and CDC. There are plenty of changes to how we will be conducting business so please read ALL the information provided below. The biggest being the fact that we are required to serve a meal with EVERY transaction that has beer. Of course this will all be temporary until more restrictions are loosened. We will also being offering a limited menu of beers to go like we have been doing. Not everything on draft will be available to go. ⠀ NEW HOURS (starting Thursday) ⠀ Monday - Thursday 3-9pm Friday - Sunday 12-9pm Memorial Day 12-9pm ⠀ NEW TEMPORARY TAPROOM GUIDELINES ⠀ - Taproom will be restricted to half capacity - Once at capacity there will be a first come, first serve wait list to enter - Once your name is up we will give you a phone call and you will have 5 minutes to claim your table before we move onto the rest of the list - Parties no more than 4 people - 21+ adults only - No kids - No dogs - Tables will be at least 6 feet apart from one another - Masks are not required but highly recommended - Adhering to government guidelines, EVERY tab or single transaction MUST include a $2.50 hot dog that will be delivered to your table when it is ready - There will be veggie dog options - No drinking in non-designated areas ⠀ All of this is just as new to us as it is to you. We are asking for your patience as we figure all this out, especially finding accurate wait times once we reach capacity. For the safety and respect of the bar staff and other guests we reserve the right to ask anyone to leave if they do not comply with the above guidelines.

A post shared by Moksa Brewing Company (@moksabrewing) on May 18, 2020 at 12:07pm PDT

The brewery is also retraining staff in safety protocols, cutting the taproom’s capacity in half and limiting groups to four people. Kids and dogs will not be allowed for the time being and masks are encouraged, but not required. 

ABC has relaxed rules because of the economic hardship that restaurants are facing, now allowing dining establishments to serve drinks to go. It remains to be seen whether a hot dog will turn a taproom into a restaurant, but Gallon says he is working to bring in more dining options for his customers. 

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