Wine Bars In Virginia? Keep Looking

CC licensed image from Flickr user thomaswanhoff

Editorial comes out of the Roanoke times today about the Virginia law that demands that 45% of a bar’s sales must come from food and non-alcoholic beverages. If a bar wants to serve mixed drinks, the requirement is 50%. This puritanical law had the (intended?) side-effect that there are hardly any “bars” in the whole swath that is Northern Virginia. Once you’re out of Arlington or Alexandria, it’s TGI Friday’s, Applebees, and Ruby Tuesday as far as the eye can see.

I imagine the law makes it difficult to open a wine bar, something that would court the exploding Virginia Wine industry nicely.

Other states don’t have this 45% rule and have not fallen into anarchy or disrepair, to this end the Roanoke Times put out an editorial today about the discrepancy between bars and day spas. Let’s get to the article and my “wit”

Been to a good bar lately? Not in Virginia, you haven’t…

Way to back me up there, Roanoke Times.

There have been a couple of exceptions for a few years. Day spas and meal-assembly kitchens may serve up to two glasses of wine or beer without offering food. The thinking was that a spa, for example, could provide a glass of chardonnay to its clients while they enjoy their mud baths.

Hey, that’s nice. I’m surprised that someone hasn’t opened a “Day Spa” where the only customers are drunks whose spa treatment includes frosty mugs of Pabst Blue Ribbon and shots of Jack Daniels. We could call it “Biere Pour Hommes” and set it up in Chantilly. I’m positive there’s a 7-11 somewhere that we could wedge this in next to.

A few business owners do not like the double standard, and some lawmakers are having second thoughts…

Hey, that’s good! First you repeal the archaic ban on Sangria, now you’re re-examining the food service requirement of bars. Car tax going away, Sangira flowing, wine bars opening up, authenticity everywhere… Virginia, you’re looking up.

A joint House of Delegates-Senate committee last week discussed requiring meal-assembly kitchens and spas to make food available most of the time.

Oh, they went that direction. Damn. I take all that back.

There’s a double standard all right, but lawmakers should fix it by ending the 45 percent food requirement, not by imposing it on businesses whose services have nothing to do with eating, at least on site.

No kidding.

Link to Roanoke Times piece.