Selling house-mixed cocktails was part of The Grand Tavern's plan to stay in business after the closure of its dining room due to COVID-19 caused a severe drop in the revenue stream.
The Neptune City restaurant closed on March 16 when the government shut down all restaurants for dine-in service, regrouped, then reopened for takeout on March 30. The state was then allowing the sale of pre-sealed liquor, wine and beer.
Owner Ashley Coyte reached out to New Jersey’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to be sure that selling her cocktails was legal. Two weeks later the ABC got back to her, saying she was not, in fact, allowed to sell her pre-mixed cocktails.
Coyte has now made it her mission to change the statute that restricts the sale of house-mixed cocktails for pick-up during COVID-19 restaurant closures.
“Advocating for this has become my second job. It’s just about fairness,” she said.
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When Gov. Phil Murphy closed all restaurants for dine-in service on March 16, liquor regulations loosened. Restaurants with liquor licenses could sell alcoholic beverages in their sealed original containers for pick-up orders, including bottles of wine and canned beer and cocktails — a measure that had not been allowed before and put in place so restaurants could bring in more money. The statute includes growlers and crowlers (which hold beer) as sealed original containers.
The cocktails Grand Tavern were offering listed the type of drink, the ingredients, the ABV and had tape over the top to seal it. But because they were not in their “original containers,” the ABC told Coyte she could not sell them. Grand Tavern consequently lost about 35% of its revenue, said Coyte.
The ABC is not allowed to make changes to state statutes. Only the governor and attorney general can, according to the ABC. Coyte is, therefore, attempting to catch the ear of the governor and convince him to allow restaurants to sell house-mixed cocktails.
Gov. Murphy could not be immediately reached for comment.
“This is a no-brainer,” Coyte said. “We’re going on six weeks now. We don’t know how long this is going to last. Our government can do something to help small business.”
Coyte put out a call on Instagram and Facebook to alert Gov. Murphy to her cause.
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The New York State Liquor Authority has allowed house-mixed cocktails to be ordered with takeout food. Coyte feels that a similar measure in New Jersey would allow restaurants to bring in business-saving revenue.
“I normally do not speak out about these things. I stay peaceful,” said Coyte. “But this is about fairness.”
Rebecca King is a food writer for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Email: kingr@northjersey.com Twitter: @rebeccakingnj Instagram: @northjerseyeats
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'This is about fairness': Tavern fights for NJ restaurants to sell house-mixed cocktails to-go - NorthJersey.com
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