Restaurants in Arnold may temporarily offer to-go alcohol sales during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
City Council members voted unanimously to pass a resolution that allows restaurants with a valid liquor license to sell alcoholic beverages to customers for pick-up. The vote was taken during an April 16 meeting held by teleconference.
The change mirrors the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control’s April 14 announcement that it had suspended its rule that to-go alcohol must sold in its original package. The change is in effect at the state and city levels until May 15.
The City Council also followed the state’s decision to extend liquor licenses that were scheduled to expire on June 30 until Aug. 31. The vote to extend liquor licenses was unanimous.
“This way, everybody is on the same page,” City Administrator Bryan Richison said. “(Restaurant owners) know what is expected of them, what is allowed and there are no discrepancies. I think the clarity and consistency will be a big help.”
The to-go alcohol sales come with provisions.
A restaurant may only sell alcohol with the purchase of food, and the beverage must be in a durable, leak-proof and sealed container.
The alcohol container must be in either a one-time-use tamperproof, transparent bag that can be sealed or the container opening must have tamperproof tape placed over the top of it. The waiver does not allow alcohol to be served in plastic or Styrofoam cups with straws or loose covers, city documents say.
Richison said the city did not want to start allowing to-go sales of alcohol before the state approved the practice so restaurants would only have to follow one set of rules.
“I think changes like this work better coming from the state down,” Richison said. “We can’t really force the state to do anything, and if we act on our own, there are inconsistencies and questions. I think the liquor license is an area where you need consistency. There can be some pretty significant consequences for violating the liquor laws. I don’t think it would have been appropriate for this change to come from the city level. I think it needed to happen the way it did, coming from the state.”
He said he hopes the temporary loosening of the alcohol sales rules will help restaurants.
“It gives them another avenue to make sales when people are buying food to buy different types of alcohol from them, and that can help them with their revenue,” Richison said.
He said there are no plans for Arnold Police to provide extra monitoring at restaurants to make sure the temporary rules are followed.
“These businesses are familiar with the liquor license laws, and they follow them all year round,” Richison said. “I think if we get information there is a problem, we will look into it. We don’t anticipate any problems with our businesses.”
