Booze to go became a lifeline for many restaurants when indoor dining was shut down at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 — though the rules were hard to pin down at the time. For a week or two after Polis issued the first executive order allowing alcohol to be sold for takeout and delivery, consumers were showing up at their favorite watering holes with all manner of flasks, flagons, jars, jugs, cups, canteens, pails, pots, buckets and beakers, asking for them to be filled. And most businesses were happy to oblige.
But Colorado's Liquor Enforcement Division eventually clarified what was, and was not, allowed (sealed containers are now required). And in June 2021, Polis signed a bill into law that extended booze to go as a legal option through July 2025.
At the time, restaurant owners offered mixed feedback on the impact the extension would have on the bottom line. "I’d say, for us, it’s a 'nice to have' and probably 'thanks for letting people be adults,'" Culinary Creative Group owner Juan Padró told Westword at the time.
"Once you give people something like that, it's hard to justify taking it away," noted City Street Investors co-founder Joe Vostrejs.
And now, it's sticking around for good.
Booze to go appeared in many forms during the pandemic, as restaurants scrambled to take advantage of the new rules.
Molly Martin
“Restaurants lost more than $3 billion in revenue during 2020 alone, and have struggled with inflationary pressures, labor shortages, and operational uncertainty ever since,” says Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, in an announcement of the new law. “Alcohol to-go from restaurants is a win-win; it’s extremely popular with the public and provides restaurants with a measure of confidence, knowing they can factor in this additional revenue stream as they make plans for the future. We’re delighted that alcohol to go is now permanent in Colorado."
Cheers to that!
