It appears that Massachusetts could start allowing restaurants to offer alcohol with to-go orders, joining four other New England states that have already done this.
According to an article from CBS Boston, Governor Charlie Baker said in a press conference today that his administration has introduced a proposal that would let dining spots sell beer and wine with takeout and delivery orders, as long as the alcohol is in their original unopened containers. If passed, the state would join Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont in allowing this, with Maine being the only holdout, at least for now.
The ruling would be a way to help restaurants in the Commonwealth, as they are currently only allowed to offer takeout and/or delivery due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
[March 26 update: A check on the bill proposing that restaurants be allowed to sell beer and wine shows that it has been "Referred to the committee on House Ways and Means," which--according to a message from The Passionate Foodie--means that it has not yet passed and is simply in committee.]
[March 31 update: According to a source earlier in the day, the bill proposing that restaurants be allowed to sell alcohol might not be signed until next Tuesday at the earliest because the Senate needs to look at it again and they likely won't be in session until then, though another source tells us this afternoon that a Senator is saying the bill could actually be on Governor Baker's desk by tomorrow (stay tuned).]
[April 2 update: Our source now tells us that the bill appears to be going back and forth between the Senate and the House, so for now, the bill has not yet been signed by Governor Baker, and it is not known when it might be signed.]
[Earlier Article]
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont Allow Beer, Wine Sales with Takeout Orders
New Hampshire Allows Beer, Wine Sales with Takeout/Delivery
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
