New Jersey has made permanent the rule that allows licensed establishments to sell alcoholic drinks to go, after the governor signed the measure. The COVID-era carve-out had been set to expire, and without the signature it would have lapsed. Customers will receive their drinks in a sealed cup and must still follow all open container laws. Business owners, who said the practice had remained a gray area since the pandemic, expect the change to boost bars and restaurants, and some have already ordered the seals to start offering the drinks this week.
New Jersey has made permanent the rule that allows licensed establishments to sell alcoholic drinks to go, after the governor signed off on the measure. The carve-out had been set to expire at the start of the month, and without the governor's signature it would have lapsed, ending the ability of bars and restaurants to let customers leave with a drink.
The measure has its roots in the coronavirus pandemic. It began as a COVID-era carve-out that allowed licensed establishments to serve drinks to go, a change that owners say was helpful for their businesses during that period. What started as a temporary accommodation has now been carried over into a lasting rule for the state.
In the years since, the practice had sat in an uncertain space. According to business owners, customers kept asking about cocktails to go, but the drinks were not really available because the matter was treated as a gray area. The governor's approval now removes that uncertainty and clears the way for the drinks to be offered again.
The permanent rule comes with conditions attached. By law, customers will receive their drink in a sealed cup, and they must still follow all open container laws once they leave the premises. Those requirements are meant to keep the to-go option within the existing framework that governs how alcohol can be carried and consumed in public.
Supporters expect the change to help on-premise establishments that hold the appropriate licenses. Because customers can now leave and take a drink with them, owners believe it will bring more business to bars and restaurants, allowing people to extend a night out rather than having it end at the door of the venue.
The reaction from the industry has been welcoming. At some venues, owners said they had already ordered the seals needed to prepare the drinks and expected to begin offering them within the week. Operators of restaurants along the Jersey Shore were among those getting ready to take advantage of the change heading into the holiday weekend.
For many of these businesses, the option carries echoes of the pandemic period, when it first proved useful. During COVID, some operators pre-bottled their house drinks and cocktails to keep sales going, and they now view the permanent rule as a way to build on that experience rather than lose a service their customers had come to expect.