State lawmakers are considering a bill to allow ABC stores to open on Sundays, as part of wide-ranging alcohol legislation.
The bill passed its first House committee Tuesday. If it becomes law, local governments could decide whether to open liquor stores on Sundays and some holidays.
The bill would also allow restaurants and bars to offer take-out and delivery cocktails. That's something that was allowed during the times of COVID-19 restrictions, and the hospitality industry wants to bring it back.
Jason Smith is the owner of Cantina 18 in Raleigh.
"It was a major uptick for many restaurateurs," he said. "To-go sales have dwindled, and it’s a great way to push to-go sales up."
Smith also praised a change that would allow restaurants and bars to buy their liquor from ABC stores when the ABC warehouse runs out of particular brands.
The bill would also create a new permit for mobile bartenders who provide alcoholic drinks at events. And a new addition to the legislation would allow alcohol sales at community college sporting events.
Some conservative groups oppose the ABC store change, including the Christian Action League.
"No Sunday sales at ABC stores helps to promote family time, improve health, less alcohol-related crime and drunk-driving fatalities on Sundays, religious observance and responsible consumption," the group's leader, Rev. Mark Creech, told a House committee.
Creech says he's concerned about other provisions in the bill too, calling it a "paradigm shift" in the state's alcohol policy. But no one on the House ABC Committee objected to the measure, which could get a floor vote when lawmakers return next week.