CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Bars and restaurants in Pennsylvania are no longer are allowed to sell cocktails to go, now that Gov. Tom Wolf's disaster declaration has officially been terminated by the state legislature.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board sent an email to bars and restaurants with an update on Tuesday, saying that drink service in the commonwealth would look pretty much as it did before the pandemic.
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"Given that the emergency declaration previously effective, which had allowed certain changes to how alcohol was sold and regulated over the last 16 months, was terminated today, this message clarifies what reverts back to pre-pandemic rules effective today."
The provision that allowed to-go cocktails was rolled into the state's COVID-19 pandemic emergency declaration, which was terminated Monday officially.
So cocktails to go are on the shelf and Chuck Moran, executive director of Pennsylvania’s Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, says now isn’t the time.
"I mean, we’re still in recovery mode. This is gonna take some time," Moran said. "And even those that are open 100%, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re serving 100%."
Moran says bars and restaurants that applied to expand seating outdoors last year, free of charge, will have to apply again for this year but with a fee.
Tom Koenig, owner of Locust Bar in Center City told NBC 10 cocktails to go have been big for them, especially when they couldn't have people at the bar indoors. And they remained popular.
"The problem is people got used to it. So now they're going to be complaining, like, 'I can't, I can't do it now,' and it's just, like, one more thing you gotta tell them they can't do."
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“It took us a long time to get to this point, and all of a sudden now you’re gonna just cut it. Give us at least a chance to rebound."
Pennsylania voters, in the May primary, approved an amendment that gave the state house and senate the ability to limit the governor’s emergency powers. In the following weeks, the state legislature voted to end the emergency declaration but that did not take effect until Tuesday when the election results were certified.
Wolf has been supportive of a bill that passed the House that would make cocktails-to-go permanent. The Senate Law & Justice Committee, however, voted 6-5 on Tuesday to add an amendment that would expand on the types of businesses that could offer ready to drink cocktails. So now, with a bill stalled in the state senate, businesses are trying to adjust once again and looking for a resolution because of how critical cocktails to go have been during a very difficult 15 months.
“Very clearly, the state's taverns and licensed restaurants became collateral damage today due to a bigger, behind-the-scenes issue happening,” the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Associated posted on its Facebook page.