PARTNERSHIPS THAT DELIVER ORLA & OLCC Working Together to Improve Delivery Practices
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hat’s more festive and fulfilling than delivering a gift that warms a loved one’s soul and makes them feel special? Whether it’s the holiday season or an anniversary, all of us can recall how exciting it is to open a package and feel the love and care that someone special in our lives put into delivering a special gift.
With that said, it should be recognized that some concerns have been voiced by public health advocates that bars, restaurants, and their delivery vendors have not taken this privilege as seriously as they may when serving beverages in person. So, take some time and set up a delivery process that gives your business the opportunity to be successful and compliant. Some requirements to consider are:
Here in Oregon, we’ve seen bars and restaurants pivot from primarily providing dine-in service to packaging up and delivering delicious food and exquisite beverages right to our doorsteps. This transformation and industry re-invention were no small tasks for bars and restaurants and required partnerships to be formed.
✓ Are the beverages properly labeled with this statement? “Contains alcohol: signature of person age 21 years or older required for delivery” ✓ Is the order being delivered to a person 21 or older? ✓ Does the order include cocktails and the required food items?
As 2020 drew close, OLCC staff worked late Christmas Eve in partnership with the industry and the legislature to expand delivery options for bars and restaurants to include cocktails-to-go along with beer, wine, and cider. The chorus of voices moved the legislature to see the need to deliver as a solution to aide bars and restaurants during what is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the hospitality industry. Celebrating the fruits of this partnership is important, and to that end, the momentum from this successful endeavor led the legislature to make cocktails-to-go a permanent fixture of delivery for Oregon’s hospitality industry during the 2021 session. It should not be forgotten that delivering alcoholic beverages is serious business. While packaging up food and drinks, businesses should ensure the right amount of thought needs to go into how deliveries occur, so Oregonians can continue to receive drinks at their doors.
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Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association | WINTER 2022
✓ Is the recipient intoxicated? Along with these questions, delivery drivers should be reminded to “size up” the situation when they get to the door. Ensuring that the delivery is done right preserves the integrity of the system and keeps alcohol out of the hands of minors. Getting together with family and friends was something many of us sacrificed last year, so that we could protect one another and slow the spread of COVID. Everyone was abruptly reminded just how vital the social bonds of family, friends and partnerships are to our lives. Those bonds made it possible to permanently upgrade delivery in Oregon. The OLCC looks forward to augmenting its partnership with the hospitality industry so we can all can continue to celebrate together. OREGON LIQUOR AND CANNABIS COMMISSION
