Pa. lawmaker proposes bill for cocktails to-go during coronavirus shutdown

NEWTOWN, Pa. - A proposed bill would allow restaurants to offer cocktails to-go during the coronavirus shutdown in Pennsylvania.

Staying open for takeout these days includes selling beer to-go, but its not enough to keep the Historic Temperance House, a popular tavern and hotel in Newtown, operating much longer without some help.

“Our Saturday nights are like a good Monday. We can’t tread water like this, “ said Kathy Buczek, owner of the Temperance House."

The Temperance House, said to have hosted tactical meetings for General George Washington and been a stop on the Underground Railroad, may have helped in the past but now they may be getting some help from Harrisburg. They’ll need it before time is runs out for Buczek to hold onto her small staff.“I’m having struggles with that because honestly, unemployment is paying a bit more than I can possibly even offer.”

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Local state representative Perry Warren spoke to FOX 29’s Joyce Evans over the phone from Harrisburg about pushing through an amendment to a bill offering help to food serving restaurants, bars and hotels who have lost at least a quarter of their business during the coronavirus pandemic. It would allow these restaurants to sell cocktails to-go.

“It’s not about me, it’s about our residents offering another opportunity to them and to our businesses working so hard to stay alive and to keep our residents fed during this crisis,” explained Representative Warren. Customers would be able to take home their martinis and mimosas in a growler with a lid but no straw. Most of their customers are locals or walk-ins, so they’re not too worried that someone will buy an alcoholic beverage to go and drink and drive.

“It’s not going to be the end all, be all but it’s a beginning. It’s another avenue to survive,” said Buczek.

Ironically, Temperance House, currently in the middle of some hard times, is collection donations to help others. They’re preparing meals to offer to local first responders that are pulling long shifts and other people struggling to feed their families.

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