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Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs the to-go alcohol legislation at at Cactus Flower Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Pueblo, Colorado.
On Friday, May 10th, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) did something the state’s restaurants have been hoping he would do before year’s end: He signed a bill extending the law allowing restaurants to sell alcohol-to-go, something he first approved during the COVID pandemic in 2020. The law was set to end in 2021, then again in 2025; thanks to Senate Bill SB24-020, it is set to stick around for good.
The governor signed the bill at Cactus Flower Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Pueblo. “Big shout out to Governor Polis for signing the bill into law, allowing alcohol sales to-go FOREVER!” the restaurant posted on Facebook. “We’re immensely grateful for your support. Huge thank you to the Colorado Restaurant Association and Senator Hinrichsen for championing this cause and making it a reality! Let’s raise a glass to more convenience and thriving restaurants!”
Luis Ramirez, president and COO of Los Dos Potrillos, a chain of Mexican restaurants with locations across the south Denver metro area, remembers how important the original law was to his business during COVID.
“We made over 100 margaritas within the first 20 minutes, and they were gone in two hours. It was amazing,” Ramirez told Channel 9 News, noting how “super excited” he and his team are about the recently signed legislation, which takes effect on Aug. 6. “We have set a new standard since Covid, that's been the standard since, when we allowed alcohol, and now the standard is permanent. The CRA (Colorado Restaurant Association) helped write the bill and push it through, so that was huge — getting people who are actually in the industry and their perspective for our legislators.”
“Restaurants lost more than $3 billion in revenue during 2020 alone and have struggled with inflationary pressures, labor shortages, and operational uncertainty ever since,” Sonia Riggs, president and chief executive of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said in a statement. “Alcohol to go from restaurants is a win-win; it’s extremely popular with the public and provides restaurants with a measure of confidence, knowing they can factor in this additional revenue stream as they make plans for the future.”
For more insight on how to-go alcohol is impacting Mexican and Latin restaurants nationwide, see the story about the topic in the MayJune 2024 issue of el Restaurante.
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