Gov. Abbott Hints at Permanent 'To-Go' Alcohol Sales in Texas

AUSTIN, TX –  Due to the novel Coronavirus, Texans have recently been able to purchase alcoholic beverages to go from restaurants, and Gov. Abbott wants to make this change permanent.

Abbott originally signed a waiver on March 18 allowing "To-Go" alcohol sales in an effort to support struggling businesses after social distancing restrictions closed dining areas due to public health concerns. 

The waiver was originally intended to last until May 1 to temporarily provide relief to struggling businesses, however the waiver was extended indefinitely.

Abbott recently hinted the change could be permanent, tweeting at the time, “From what I hear from Texans, we may just let this keep on going forever.”

Shortly after, Abbott tweeted once more late Saturday afternoon stating his support for the idea of extending the temporary waiver.

During the 2019 legislative session, bills were passed which allowed Texas breweries to sell beer to go and granted restaurants the ability to deliver beer and wine to patrons.

State Rep. Tan Parker, R of Flower Mound, replied, saying that he will be filing a bill in the upcoming legislative session in January of 2021 in hopes of extending the temporary waiver, as well as allowing restaurants to continue selling bulk retail food items to go.

The state's 87th Texas legislative session begins Jan. 12 of 2021.

The Texas Restaurant Association submitted a proposal last Thursday to Gov. Abbott’s office, requesting an expansion of the waiver to also include mixed drinks with liquor to be prepared, repackaged and sold "To-Go".

Under the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission current guidelines, restaurants can only serve liquor in manufacturer-sealed bottles and with the purchase of food items.

For several restaurants,  this means drinks are served in do-it-yourself kits, where customers mix the ingredients and liquor together themselves.

According to the organization’s "Texas Restaurant Survival Plan", restaurants in the state have lost an estimated $4.2 billion in revenue since the shutdowns began due to covid-19 back in March. 

During a recent press conference, Gov. Abbott said, Texans in their 20s are contracting COVID-19 at a higher rate, speculating that it could be in part because they are going to bars and not social distancing.

 Chris Van Deusen, a spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services, credits some of the 4,430 new cases to Texans "gathering at bars and engaging in other social activities".

Texas' latest reopening guidelines allowed restaurants to operate at 75% capacity and bars to operate at 50% capacity.

However, Texas once more recorded a record number of new coronavirus cases on Saturday.