Virginia lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of making cocktails to-go a permanent part of the restaurant industry across the state.
“During COVID, we allowed delivery of mixed cocktails to homes, which was supposed to sunset this coming July,” Republican Del. Jay Leftwich said.
The legislation, which was passed by both the House of Delegates and the Senate, would remove that “sunset,” allowing for restaurants and bars to include cocktails on their to-go menus indefinitely.
“We’re repealing the sunset for direct deliveries” from bars and restaurants, Leftwich said.
Third-party deliveries, such as those that come through DoorDash, for example, would be allowed at least through July of 2026.
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority would be instructed to study the third-party deliveries in the meantime, so it, “can collect more data on delivering these and make sure minors don’t get ahold of it,” Leftwich said.
The Senate voted to pass the measure 40-0, while it passed in the House of Delegates 81-18.
During the pandemic, with lockdowns and restrictions limiting dine-in options, providing alcohol delivery became a lifeline for establishments to generate revenue and stay afloat, supporters of the legislation argued.
“It was an absolutely crucial tool for our restaurant owners to be able to stay open,” said Tommy Herbert, director of government affairs with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association.
Since the start of the pandemic, 23 states and D.C. have enacted laws to permanently allow cocktails to-go, and nine others have enacted laws that allow cocktails to-go on a temporary basis.
“What we found is that even coming out of the pandemic, it is an excellent tool to help folks in an industry that on the best day hovers between 3% and 5% as a profit margin,” Herbert said.
It would still need to be signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in order for the legislation to become law.
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