Offering Beer, Wine and Liquor To-Go

“Some states have simply given on-premise alcohol retailers the privileges to extend their sales to off-premise, while some states have created separate delivery permits,” says C. Jarrett Dieterle, resident senior fellow at R Street Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank. “Working with a local alcoholic beverage attorney would be a good idea to confirm the rules in one’s particular state…”

Train staff. If restaurants want to have their own employees perform the deliveries, Dieterle says, the employer needs to go over basic protocols like ensuring the employees know how to check IDs to verify the purchaser’s age…

“Many states have rules requiring that the drink container for a mixed beverage be sealed in some sort of tamper-proof packaging,” Dieterle says. “Depending on the state, this could be something like a sticker that must be removed before the drink can be consumed – thereby providing evidence if it was consumed before the delivery was made or before the to-go patron reached their ultimate destination.”