Asheville ABC alters policy to assist struggling bars and restaurants

BUY BACK: A change implemented by the Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is aimed at helping businesses that placed large liquor orders in advance of the St. Patrick's Day holiday. Photo by Cindy Kunst

“Folks look for any sort of holiday to go out to a bar and celebrate, and St. Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest,” says Jason Thacker, operations manager of the Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. That entity manages the sale of “spirituous liquor” to retail and mixed-beverage (bar and restaurant) customers from 10 local ABC stores, three of which are retail only.

Bars and restaurants in Buncombe County had ordered accordingly for the boozy March 17 celebration; then the curtain came down via Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order issued that afternoon closing all such establishments to customers. Thacker’s office started receiving calls immediately that day from business owners fretting about having purchased all that spirituous liquor with no partygoers to sell it to.

“Typically, we don’t mind taking back unopened bottles of alcohol from bars and restaurants, but we do it as a credit toward their next purchase,” Thacker says. “But no one knows when that will be, and we know they are struggling.”

In response, the local ABC has agreed to buy back any liquor ordered and purchased from the board March 14-17 and apply the refund to businesses’ credit cards. “It won’t cover everything for them, but if we can help them out at all, we’ll do it,” says Thacker.

Meanwhile, ABC stores remain open to retail customers, though the hours have been limited to 11 a.m.-7 p.m., in part to ease the strain on workers facing a tremendous spike of shoppers. “Bars and restaurants normally account for 33% of our business,” says Thacker. “I checked sales March 24 — a week after [bars and restaurants] closed — and we were up 15%, so that is all retail customers.”

He says ABC shops will keep operating through the pandemic as long as the state allows. “Judging from sales, a lot of people think we’re an essential service,” Thacker says.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Kay West
Kay West was a freelance journalist in Nashville for more than 30 years, contributing writer for the Nashville Scene, StyleBlueprint Nashville, Nashville correspondent for People magazine, author of five books and mother of two happily launched grown-up kids. To kick off 2019 she put Tennessee in her rear view mirror, drove into the mountains of WNC, settled in West Asheville and appreciates that writing offers the opportunity to explore and learn her new home. She looks forward to hiking trails, biking greenways, canoeing rivers, sampling local beer and cheering the Asheville Tourists.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.