ABC approves curbside alcohol sales for restaurants; Huntsville business owners excited

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - It’s a little bit easier to enjoy your favorite cocktail from a local restaurant, and you can do it at home.

That is until January 4.

Monday the ABC Board agreed to put an emergency rule back in place to give restaurants and bars the green light for curbside alcohol sales.

But there are some changes from the last emergency authorization in March.

“Because it did so well during the first wave, it only made sense for it to come back during our second wave,” Stephanie Kennedy-Mell said.

Kennedy-Mell, co-owner of Purveyor and Church Street Wine Shop, says she’s looking at her glass half full tonight.

“We do think that it is a huge boost to our revenue and we’re excited to go back to doing curbside cocktails again as well as maybe some bottle sales,” Kennedy-Mell said.

The president of Downtown Inc tells us he put in a request to State Representative Rex Reynolds for curbside alcohol sales just last week.

“I cant say enough about Downtown Huntsville Inc. we want to thank the ABC board and Rex Reynolds for really standing behind small businesses at this time,” Kennedy-Mell said.

Of course like the earlier emergency rule this summer-, the alcohol must be unopened, and the mixers are separate.

But there’s a big difference.

The amount of liquor they can sell per customer has gone from one liter to .375. Or from 750 ML to 375ML.

But the wine and beer amounts have doubled.

Businesses can now send a customer home with two bottles of wine instead of one and a twelve pack of beer instead of a six pack.

James Boyce, head chef and owner of Cotton Row, Commerce Street Kitchen and Pane Vino Pizza says this move by the ABC is much appreciated.

“Somebody calls in and says they want their favorite margarita to go, we can put together a kit and send it home with them. I mean restaurant business hospitality has taken quite a hit this year and I think they realize we need the support in every which way,” Boyce said.

Something important to note, restaurants can not give you premixed drinks to go.

The alcohol must be entirely separate in a sealed bottle.

The order expires January 4.

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