Smooth from p 20 new law would devalue his investment. “It’s a privilege (restaurants) have not paid for,” Chester said during public testi- mony in February. “We had a lot of skin in the game.” Beyond that, he questioned whether cocktails-to-go would encourage driving under the influence of alcohol. “I think it’s dangerous. How many times have you gone to a drive-thru and eaten in your car on the way home?” he said. “Do you really think that a cocktail-to-go is not going to be (drunken) on the way home af- ter you buy it to go?” A lobbyist for retailers suggested that thousands of new locations where residents can buy liquor to go would significantly change the market dynamics. “It’s a lot of potential competitors for our grocers and convenience stores,” said Mark Miller, president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance. “This isn’t fair. It’s not something that you can take away and it’s not going to have consequences.” Some bar owners have invested signifi- cantly in liquor licenses over the years. David Delos, president of the Arizona Li- censed Beverage Association, and owner of Tony’s Cocktail Lounge in Glendale, has about $600,000 worth of liquor licenses across six different bars. “You will hurt far more businesses than you will help,” Delos told state representa- tives during a committee hearing. The industry group behind the lawsuit To-go margarita from Someburros. to stop cocktails-to-go during the pan- demic petitioned against the bill. A liquor license is the most valuable as- set a bar might have, said Don Isaacson, lobbyist for the Arizona Licensed Beverage Association. “The value to that business is the license that you pass on,” Isaacson said. “What go- ing to be the impact to the people who ac- tually paid for that license? It’s going to hurt the investment.” Weninger said he is pleased the bill has been approved, but feels the $2,500 licens- ing fee could be too expensive for local mom-and-pop establishments wanting to serve to-go cocktails. “If you’re a big chain or a larger operation, you can af- ford [$2,500],” said Weninger. “If you’re a small ma-and-pop who wants to make another $500 or $1,000 per month in revenue, you might have to go have the year to make that payment.” Weninger originally pushed for a more modest fee of $1,000 or $1,500, saying, “I don’t think anyone making $3,000 to $4,000 per year [on to-go cocktail sales] is doing it.” But, in a world filled with minimum wage hikes, staff- ing concerns, and supply- chain issues, Weninger said this is a much-needed win for the restaurant industry. “I think the pandemic Jacob Tyler Dunn changed a lot of thinking,” he said. “A bunch of people who said they’d never do it now does it all the time. It’s not taking the place of another sale. It’s like be- ing in line at Starbucks and they have those little impulse items, so you grab one. It’s just a bonus that gives more money to your bottom line.” For some, the changes in law need to mature in the cask. For other, drinks at the doorbell may not offer the smooth finish we all want. 23 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES DEC 9TH– DEC 15TH, 2021