Kansas is thirsty: Bars, restaurants allowed to sell bottled beer, wine to-go during pandemic

When they got the news on Thursday that they were allowed to sell bottled beer and wine to-go along with food, the owners of Wichita’s A&M Management needed zero time to think about it.

They immediately updated their social media channels letting customers know that at Deano’s, Greystone and Oak & Pie — the three Wichita restaurants they’re trying to keep afloat — customers could request a bottle of wine or a few beers be included in their to-go orders.

“John just said, ‘Go. Let’s at least see if we can get rid of some of our inventory,” Lauren Irwin, A&M’s corporate officer, said of owner John Arnold. “If we can even make a small portion of the payroll, we’re doing it.”

On Thursday, bars, breweries and restaurants with liquor licenses were informed that they would be temporarily allowed to sell beer and wine for carry out as severe restrictions on gatherings has effectively ended dine-in service at most establishments.

It’s not the drastic change it might at first sound like, though, warned Philip Bradley, a lobbyist who represents the Kansas Licensed Beverage Association, the Craft Brewers Guild and more.

Bar and restaurants will still have to follow the rules set forth by the already established “doggy bag” law, meaning that beer and wine will have to be opened inside the restaurant and then resealed in a special to-go bag before it can leave the premises. The only difference for those businesses from the previous law is that the customer won’t be required to consume some of the beverage on the premises.

Breweries, wineries and distilleries will continue to be able to sell their products sealed as always, but now, they can deliver them to people in their cars.

Debbi Beavers, director of Alcoholic Beverage Control, announced the new policy in a memo dated Wednesday. She wrote that “many in the industry have recently expressed concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on licensees that sell alcoholic liquor to the public,” including concerns some businesses will close.

Similar rules have been implemented in several states amid increasing restrictions to fight the pandemic. Beavers stressed the Kansas rules are temporary, but will continue “until further notice.”

The policy applies to restaurants with liquor licenses bars, clubs, farm wineries, micro-breweries, micro-distilleries and liquor stores.

Establishments must designate specific “to-go” parking stalls within 50 feet of the entrance and that sales outside of 50 feet are prohibited.

Arnold and Irwin are among many Wichita bar and restaurant owners that have been trying to keep their businesses going as long as they can. At this point, Irwin said, their main objective is to keep paying as many staff members as they can for as long as they can.

Deano’s and Greystone already had designated curbside to-go parking spaces set up that will meet the state’s requirements on selling beer and wine curbside.

At Oak & Pie, K-96 and Greenwich, employees have come up with a unique solution. Customers who want food and now beer and wine to-go just drive up to the restaurant’s back door, previously an employee only entrance, and pick up their orders.

“The back door has now become a drive through,” she said.

The news was met a bit differently The Artichoke, the sandwich bar and nightspot at 811 N. Broadway now owned by Uche Onwugbufor and Tracy Rutledge. They closed down their dining room on Wednesday and are now serving their sandwiches from their longtime drive-up window.

If a customer is desperate for him to throw in beer with their orders, he’ll do it, Onwugbufor said. But he doesn’t think it would make much sense for the average customer, who could just drive a little but farther to a liquor store and buy a six-pack for the same price as a single beer at his place.

Instead, the owners have worked out a deal with Beer Brothers liquor store at 2825 W. 13th, owned by Rutledge’s sons. People who bring in a day-of receipt from The Artichoke can get 10 percent off the purchase of an item there.

“We’re down to be part of this, but it doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Kansas is thirsty: Bars, restaurants allowed to sell bottled beer, wine to-go during pandemic."