Massachusetts Restaurants Want To-Go Cocktails To Stay

MASSACHUSETTS —Restaurants are pushing state lawmakers to extend rules that were aimed at propping up their businesses during the coronavirus state of emergency, including rules that allowed them to sell to-go cocktails and capped fees third-party delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats could charge.

Those rules, however, will expire when the state lifts its emergency order on June 15. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat, has filed bills that would extend those rule for two years after the end of the emergency order. The bills were filed as amendments to the state budget, which will not be finalized and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker until after the emergency order is lifted.

After Baker announced the timetable for ending his March 2020 emergency order Monday, DiZoglio wrote Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano and called for immediate action on the bills.

"These measures were critical to helping our small businesses remain afloat in the face of the pandemic – and remain just as essential to them now, on the road to recovery," DiZoglio said. "It is imperative we get this legislation across the finish line as soon as possible and ensure our local restaurants do not lose access to these crucial, revenue-generating opportunities that can make all the difference regarding their survival."

Restaurants, as well as the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, praised Baker's decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions on May 29, including capacity limits. But restaurants are still struggling, the association said. The association estimates 3,400 restaurants have closed since the start of the pandemic, and that the industry lost $7 billion in revenue over the past year.

"The state of emergency is linked to public health data not economic recovery data," Steve Clark, a spokesperson for the association, said. "Employment in the restaurant industry remains 1.7 million jobs lower than pre-pandemic, food costs are skyrocketing now, and other operational costs are such as labor, gas prices, utilities, insurance, are extremely high. There is long recovery ahead for the hospitality industry."

At the same time, the Massachusetts Package Stores Association is calling for the rules to expire with the emergency order. The association of liquor stores in the state says the to-go cocktails have hurt their members' businesses.

"They knew what they got into when they got into the business," Robert A. Mellion, executive director of the association, told the Boston Globe.