A temporary relaxation of New Jersey’s liquor license laws may offer some of the state’s restaurants a bit of good news while they face restrictions imposed as a result of the novel coronavirus. As part of the measures taken by Gov. Murphy to prepare for and respond to COVID-19, all restaurants are limited to offering food delivery and/or take-out services only, which means there is currently no on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages permitted. Up until this time, a plenary retail consumption liquor license would normally only permit the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption. However, on March 16th, Gov. Murphy signed Executive Order 104, which now relaxes the on-premises consumption requirement. Now, all holders of a plenary retail consumption liquor license are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages from their restaurant as long as the alcohol remains sealed in its original container. Customers must present their ID while picking up their food and drinks to ensure they are over 21 years old.
If you have any questions about the new measures, please feel free to contact us.
PartnerJames McCann’s practice encompasses the areas of acquisition, sale and development of real property, land use, redevelopment law, tax abatements, condominium and planned real estate development law, and alcoholic beverage ...
