Queensland restaurants push to expand takeaway alcohol options
Queensland restaurants want to sell alcohol to its customers as a takeaway option.
Hospitality advocacy group The Coffee Commune, which represents 900 food and beverage businesses throughout Queensland, are leading the charge for changes to liquor licencing laws.
Under current Queensland law, customers can purchase a maximum of 1.5 litres of wine with any takeaway meal ordered from a specially licenced restaurant. Alcohol purchase does not include beer, pre-mixed drinks and other alcoholic beverages such as cider.
While restaurants can sell takeaway alcohol, cafes are ineligible.
The Coffee Commune says opening up restriction would make a “huge” difference to the bottom line of hospitality venues.
“It makes a big, big difference and it’s because it (the money) is going to the independent (eatery) rather than the multinational (bottle shop),” The Coffee Commune’s Phillip Di Bella said.
“We’re saying if you are picking up takeaway food, why can’t you pick up a bottle or a six pack of beer?”
Di Bella said the move would bring Queensland in line with other states.
Restaurant and Catering Industry Association CEO Suresh Manickam said the proportion of alcohol should be in line with the amount of food ordered.
“We explored this through Covid. Everyone took it on for what it was, nobody abused it and it was a win-win for the restaurateur and the consumer,” Manickam said
“It clearly worked. Now that it has been proven it worked, we need to explore this. We need to have this open to us.”
The call has garnered positive response from restaurant owners.
E’cco Bistro restaurateur Philip Johnson said, “I don’t think any restaurant is going to threaten a bottle shop, but everything helps and it can only be a positive.”
Jonathan Jackson, 17th October 2024
