DEBATE FOLLOWING TO-GO COCKTAILS FOR BARS

Food delivery and take-out options alone may not be enough for Oregon bars and restaurants to stay open as COVID-19 drives down business.

Some believe that allowing sales of to-go cocktails and other mixed drinks could help those establishments survive, and they are urging state lawmakers to take action.

More than 30 states have legalized to-go cocktails in an effort to save local bars and restaurants during the current pandemic. Oregon is not one of them. The state continues to prohibit the sale of distilled spirits for off-site consumption.

Oregon is considered a “control state,” where the sale of alcohol is tightly controlled by the state and state agencies, including the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which enforces these laws.

Now, local bartenders are seeking public support for new legislation allowing for more lenient alcohol consumption laws. Matt Gumm is a veteran bartender, hosts theoccasionalbartender.com, and is the creator of a petition intended to aid in the legalization of to-go cocktails.

“Selling cocktails to go would allow us to continue to do what we love without having to manage people’s behavior regarding the safety guidelines surrounding masks and social distancing in public,” he said.

Those strict mandates aren’t going away soon, he noted.

Addressing public safety, Gumm said, “(A)lthough many of us would really love to be back at work behind our bars serving as many guests as we can handle, it simply is not safe to gather.”

Bar owners alike are joining in on the request for legislation to permit to-go sales.

Matt Davidson, owner of the cocktail bar Botanist House in Portland’s Pearl District, has penned an open letter to Oregonians implying the risk of losing even more local bars and restaurants.

Bars and restaurants in Oregon have experienced heavy losses, from a near-75 percent decrease in profits to complete closure, since the beginning of the pandemic in March, supporters say.

“We cannot even generate enough revenue to break even,” Davidson said. “Some of us are closing for what we hope is just the wintertime. Many others are closing their doors for good.”

Botanist House is asking for the chance to continue to create a sustainable income through sales, instead of relying on government-funded paycheck protection loans, deferred rent and unemployment benefits. The cocktail bar is urging Oregonians to contact their elected state representatives to request a December special session of the Oregon Legislature.

A special session would allow Gov. Kate Brown and legislators to convene at any time to discuss proposed legislation and where state funds need to be delegated.

House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-North/Northeast Portland, says a special session is needed “as soon as possible to help struggling Oregonians and small businesses through the winter months.”

The push for action is what many say could decide the near-term fate of the service industry in Oregon.

Brown has so far refrained from commenting on the subject of offsite consumption of spirits, but has issued a statement suggesting consideration of a special session, as well as a reminder to bars and restaurants that the sale of to-go cocktails is illegal.

Critics of a change in the laws regarding spirits sales cite Oregon’s substance addiction rates, among the highest in the country. The state ranks low in providing access to addiction treatment, and many fear greater leniency will be a disservice to those suffering from addiction and striving for rehabilitation.

With no quick end to the pandemic in sight, both critics and supporters of the proposed legislative change will seek the support of the public, and the state, in any final decision.

Disclaimer: Brianne Burgess is a bartender employed at Bye & Bye.