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Happening now: bar owners, bar patrons, and others are gathering at the state capitol, chanting “Not our last call,” demanding bars be allowed to open the same as restaurants and other businesses. #12News
They’re on the move, bar crawling for justice.
If you're unfamiliar with why this protest is relevant, it is much more than just, "We want to be able to go out and drink and spread coronavirus because we are dummies." I've been seeing some of that in my mentions.
1/ So here's a thread to try to explain the more sophisticated reasons behind the protest that the organizers named "Not our last call." #12News
2/ Back in March, Gov. Ducey shut down AZ bars AND restaurants. You could only get takeout food. Because of this obvious hit to business for restaurants, Ducey allowed restaurants to serve alcoholic drinks to go along with food.
3/ What is VERY significant about this decision is that most restaurants have a Series 12 license. This type of license costs about $2500 (according to people in the industry) and is nontransferable. Restaurants have to maintain at least a 60/40 split of sales from alcohol/food.
4/ Businesses classified as "bars" will likely have a Series 6 or Series 7 license. These can cost around $100,000, and there is a limited number of them allowed by the state. But because of their value and limit, they are an asset, like property.
5/ Often the price of your business, if for sale, will include its liquor license. They do not have to have the 60/40 revenue split required by restaurants. Before the pandemic, only Series 6 and Series 7 license holders could sell alcohol to go.
6/ In May, the March executive order expired, and many bars and restaurants opened back up. Some made changes to how they operate (masks and gloves for staff, partitions between tables, limited-seating, etc). Many did not. Virus cases skyrocketed. (correlation is not causation)
7/ You may remember that Old Town Scottsdale was PACKED before during and after Memorial Day Weekend. One bar owner brought this up. This is Brian Cavender, owner of Connolly's Sports Bar.
8/ During the initial bar/restaurant shut down, Gov. Ducey threatened liquor licenses. He said to businesses that planned to ignore his executive order, "You're playing with your liquor license. Don't do that." As I said earlier, losing a $100K liquor license can kill a business.
9/ So when bars are again shut down (in late June), along with gyms and tubing on the Salt River, this time the shut down is only for bars, meaning those holding Series 6 and Series 7 licenses. Series 12 license holders are allowed to remain open.
10/ And again, the Series 6 and 7 licenses cost about 40 times more than the Series 12 licenses, but now all the Series 6 and 7 licensees can offer is alcohol to go, which Series 12 licensees can also offer, and the Series 12 licensees can also have people dine in.
11/ Series 12 licensees (restaurants) are required to operate at less than 50% capacity and implement other safety guidelines. Series 6 and 7 licensees are not allowed to allow people in at all, no matter how much food they sell. That leads to this from Emily, a bartender.
#12News 12/ Most of today's protest was owners, bartenders, and patrons of Series 6 and Series 7 establishments that want to be able to re-open with the same safety requirements as restaurants (Series 12). As a lawyer for the group said:
13/ One of the most concerning issues for this group is that the liquor licensing board has become pandemic enforcement. Liquor board agents are out investigating potential violators. So, on the spot, liquor agents have to decide if there are unsafe business practices.
14/ These are agents who usually investigate if a bar is selling to under age kids or over-serving customers. They generally don't decide if a business's actions will spread the virus. As Brian Cavender said:
15/ Just today, Cavender said he was told he could re-open if he re-opened at 25% capacity and required all patrons to order food with their alcohol. He's wondering why he faces tougher measures than restaurants, which can operate at just under 50% capacity.
16/ So that's the real root cause of today's protest. It's what we have been seeing throughout this pandemic: business owners struggling to hang on to their livelihoods in the face of a virus we haven't cured.
17/ As in all cases, a little more empathy and little less "haha you idiot" is really what this and most of these situations call for. Thank you. The end.
