Rutgers To Sell Beer, Wine At Football Games This Fall

PISCATAWAY, NJ — Starting in the upcoming fall 2019 season, beer and wine will now be on tap during Rutgers football games — and the mayor of Piscataway is none too happy about it.

On Wednesday, Rutgers University announced on the school's website they will start serving beer and wine at HighPoint.com stadium this autumn. It's all part of an effort to make Rutgers football games more attractive to fans, luring Manhattanites to come down and take in games, said Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs. Alcohol sales will also make money for the school, most of which will be earmarked for student scholarships.

"This decision was the result of a year-long review of the experience and data from across the college landscape," said Hobbs on Wednesday. "Universities have seen a dramatic drop in alcohol-related incidents on game day by providing a controlled environment for beer and wine sales. We will work closely with Rutgers police to achieve similar results."

The school consulted with several focus groups and stakeholders before announcing the decision, Hobbs said.

But Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler is livid, saying he and his Township police department were poignantly not consulted. It is Piscataway police who will have to deal with the fall out from drunken drivers and inebriated fans leaving the stadium, he warned, as the stadium is located in Piscataway.

“I’m a Rutgers graduate and a Rutgers fan,” Wahler said this week. “However, no one local agreed to let the university open up a 52,000-seat bar in Piscataway.”

Wahler is even threatening DWI checkpoints for fans on game days — checkpoints not sanctioned by Rutgers or campus police. That means you can be pulled over driving home from a game and checked for sobriety.

“Our local roads shouldn’t become highways for drunk drivers,” Wahler said. “If this proposal moves forward and if the university maintains its unwillingness to work with local officials, the Township reserves the right to take all necessary action to protect public safety, which can include DWI checkpoints on game days.”

Wahler is calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to intervene, but it looks like Rutgers is moving full steam ahead to serve booze.

"This is part of a broader effort to improve the overall fan experience in the years ahead, from concessions to apparel sales," said Hobbs. "We want our venues to be the destination for our fans here in New Jersey and across the New York metropolitan area."

In fact, Rutgers has already begun the RFP process to look for a vendor to provide the beer and wine sales, putting out a public call for bidders. That third-party vendor must obtain the liquor license.

There will also be some rules: All guests 21 and older must show a valid ID; there will be a two alcoholic beverage limit, per person, per transaction; sales will be cut-off at designated times well before the game is over and there will also be designated alcohol-free zones within the stadium.

Lyft, Rutgers' official ride-share partner, will continue to have designated pick-up zones to drive fans home. Campus police will be "vigorous" in maintaining safety, vowed Rutgers University Chief of Police Kenneth Cop.

Rutgers currently only serves alcohol at the club seats in the stadium, and in certain "hospitality areas" at the indoor Rutgers Athletics Center (RAC), located near the stadium. Rutgers basketball plays in the RAC.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a brewfest held this past fall at a Scarlet Knights football game was well-received by students and fans, the school said.