SALADO, Texas — A lot of craft brewery owners in Central Texas are frustrated. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is now forcing them to close their patios and go back to beer-to-go orders only.
At Barrow Brewing Company in Salado, the outdoor area consists of an entire food court and Beer Garden Space. The owner was upset once she found out the TABC ordered all outside patios close down again because of COVID-19.
“It’s just really unfair,” KD Hill, owner of Barrow Brewing Company, said. “You can go to the restaurants still. They are at 51 percent capacity, and it’s indoors. You can shop at stores; all of these are inside. I know they are taking the precautionary measures to keep people safe, but so are we.”
According to the new guidelines, breweries can only be to-go and customers cannot on sit on the patio if the business has alcohol sales that are 51 percent or more of its total sales.
JD McBride is the owner of Fire Base Brewery company in Temple. He says the news is another nail in the coffin.
“It’s frustrating,” McBride said. “Personally, I was waiting for the ball to drop. “It just took the right person to reevaluate it and say you can’t reopen at 51 percent sales.”
Texas State Representative Brad Buckley agrees and is stepping in to push for the state to amend the order.
"I’m going reach out to the TABC and the governments office to see if they might reconsider these orders and rules and the way they are being interpreted, so that we can apply some common sense to give our local businesses an opportunity to survive," Buckley said.
That is something Hill and McBride can appreciate.
"You can be socially distanced and safe,” Hill said. “We can mandate masks. We can take all the precautionary measures restaurants are taking and keep our customers safe."
Also on KCENTV.com
- Q&A | McLennan County health district discusses in-person school delay order
- Start of in-person classes in Bell County schools delayed until after Sept. 7, Health District announces
- Unemployment benefits for nearly 2 million Texans could be cut by more than half as federal help dries up
- Trump cancels Jacksonville segment of Republican National Convention
