The devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the service industry, (restaurants, bars and other service-related businesses) not only has fueled a tremendous decline of this industry but will most certainly contribute to the demise of the national economy.

While all dining rooms were closed to prevent the spread of this virus, most restaurants were able to provide “to go alcohol” services to help supplement revenue streams and provide employment to affected employees. The one day this was permitted, prior to the updated mandate, restaurants were able to recover some of those lost expenses as well as employing staff to help deliver these mixed beverages.

The impact of mandating restaurants inability to “mix and seal their own cocktails and drinks on their own and providing it in a manufacturer sealed container” significantly affected these businesses even further by limiting the sale of these products in an effort to comply with these guidelines. The sale of beer and wine does not support restaurants as significantly as mixed beverages and cocktails, as most people can purchase these items at their local stores.

Therefore, we would like to petition the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to remove this mandate temporarily to give these businesses the opportunity to generate revenues to support unemployment claims, operational costs, liquor and tax liabilities, health insurance benefits, etc. Currently, most restaurant owners and operators are faced with closing operations all together or significantly reducing costs (i.e. labor, stock levels, operational services, etc) and being forced to appeal to lien holders to suspend payments in lieu of obtaining small business loans, which only incurs additional debt for small businesses. There are currently 1.4 million restaurant employees in Texas and roughly 55,000 in Austin that are being affected by this mandate. Giving restaurants the ability to provide mixed beverages and cocktails has proven to alleviate the declination of this industry during this difficult time.

Restaurants and other service-related businesses would naturally observe guidelines on verifying age requirements, ensuring all “to go alcohol” orders are accompanied by a food order and strict serving limits.

Please visit www.change.org and search TABC.