Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Fixing Silly VA ABC Laws

There's a small bit of sanity coming from the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Board, an bureaucracy not exactly known for exhibiting common sense. At least one pointless regulation is being eased:
Good news, Virginia bargoers! The state's Department of Alcohol Beverage Control has finally realized that in the year 2014, consumers might want to know whether a bar offers happy hour, and that bars might want to tweet about their happy hours. 
Beginning Jan. 29, restaurants and nightclubs will finally legally be able to tell you, via social media or good old fashioned newspaper ads, whether they offer discounted drinks, and at what times. Previously, they could only announce their specials inside the walls of the restaurant. Get ready for the floodgates to open: You might see Galaxy Hut tweeting "Happy hour tonight from 5 to 7," or Mad Fox Brewing Company advertising that happy hour begins at 3 p.m.
As reported back in September 2011, the VA ABC was been looking at some of their rules and regulations, for the first time in 20 years. Under the new regulations, restaurants can publicize only the times of the happy hour specials, but no details such as prices or specific drinks. Seems almost pointless, but old bureaucracies change slowly in the Old Dominion. 

See "Virginia bars will soon be able to tell you if they offer happy hour" for more on the new happy hour regulations and other ABC changes.

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