Chuck Moran, Executive Director

The following is a statement from Chuck Moran, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, concerning today’s passage of HB 1154 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed HB 1154, sponsored by Rep. Kurt Masser, that would allow taverns and licensed restaurants the ability to permanently sell mixed drinks-to-go. The final vote was 187-14. The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.

Slightly more than a year ago, the Pennsylvania legislature moved a similar bill to allow such sales on a temporary basis, providing a lifeline to help struggling establishments keep their heads above the water a little longer while the government worked to create loans, grants, and other forms of assistance. Many establishments took advantage of this opportunity, while many patrons safely enjoyed professionally mixed drinks in the comfort of their homes while supporting their local taverns and licensed restaurants.

With the success that this new opportunity had during the past year, it makes sense to allow our establishments to continue offering mixed drinks-to-go to consumers on a permanent basis.

There’s no doubt that 2020 will turn out to be one of the worst years – if not the worst – of anyone’s life. The pandemic and its mitigation orders did considerable damage. Lives, businesses, and jobs were lost as the world got hit with the worst public health crisis in a century. Productivity dropped. Socialization decreased. Simply put, 2020 was not fun for any of us.

However, the pandemic forced many industries to innovate. As crazy as this might sound, one of the innovative breakthroughs and bright spots of the year for our industry was the cocktail-to-go … something so simple that it makes you wonder why licensed establishments couldn’t do this before.

The Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association thanks Rep. Masser for taking the lead on this latest legislation. And, we thank the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for passing HB 1154. Our Association encourages the Pennsylvania Senate to take up this bill in a timely manner, and further support small business taverns and licensed restaurants by making mixed drinks-to-go a permanent right of licensed establishments.

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About the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association
The Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association is a statewide association based in Harrisburg, representing small business taverns and licensed restaurants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Association formed in 1941, reorganized in 2019, and today advocates for best practices and rights within the industry as well as best experiences for patrons.