Not yet ready to leave home but craving a libation from your favorite bar? Now you can get your mixed drinks delivered.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a new “cocktails to go” measure Tuesday that allows bars and restaurants with liquor licenses to sell adult beverages for delivery and pickup. The measure is aimed at helping bars and restaurants that for more than two months were ordered shut down to dine-in service to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“This piece of legislation is really important for the bars. Many of these businesses are dying on the vine,” said Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, the Chicago Democrat who sponsored the legislation in the Senate. “This will give them an opportunity to get something out of this closure, to safely reinvent themselves through delivery and takeout.”
The city of Chicago would need to make a change to its municipal code to allow for the new measure to take effect there, and city officials have said they are working on amending the code to allow for cocktails to go.
The legislation, which earned the cheeky moniker “Booznibus” during the Illinois General Assembly’s special pandemic-driven session last month, takes effect immediately.
Under the new law, bars and restaurants can offer delivery and pickup of cocktails in sealed and labeled containers with tamper-proof seals or caps. The drinks cannot be delivered via third-party delivery services such as DoorDash, Grubhub or Postmates.
The law also delays late fees and license fees for liquor licenses, establishes automatic license renewal approval and extensions for license holders who have seen their business suspended as a result of COVID-19-related closure orders.
Pritzker in a statement Tuesday called the measure for bars and restaurants a “critical tool to bring in additional income until they can safely and fully reopen their doors once more.”
Pritzker ordered bars and restaurants closed to dine-in service in mid-March. Takeout and delivery food has been allowed to continue while sweeping business restrictions have been in place, but businesses have faced major challenges and significant revenue drop-offs.
Chicago will follow the rest of the state in advancing to its next phase of reopening on Wednesday, which includes outdoor dining at restaurants with tight rules in place aimed at preventing the potential spread of COVID-19.
Any employees making cocktail deliveries must be older than 21, and they are required to verify the age and level of intoxication of the customer.
The measure passed unanimously in the Senate and in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote in the House last month.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com
