How many local restaurants are violating the law?
From an email with a Special Agent with the Bureau of Law Enforcement Operations for Virginia ABC:
- A licensee is permitted to advertise the privileges of their license [on their website]. They may say they offer wine, beer or distilled spirits. They cannot display pictures of any beverages, nor can they promote specific brands.
- A licensee is permitted to list regular menu prices.
- A licensee IS NOT permitted to describe happy hour prices on their website, facebook or twitter!
And who is actually harmed if they do describe their prices, regular or happy hour, on facebook or twitter. This seems so antiquated.
So very true.
I asked because I’d heard 3rd hand about a local place getting a $500 fine for having photos of drinks on either their site or Facebook.
Seems like the odds of getting caught might be very slim.
Exactly the type of nonsense laws my great grandfather fought when he was a Prohibition-era bootlegger attorney in RVA. This type of stuff needs to change pronto!
Isn’t about time we came out of the dark ages? This is the information age!
More government regulations stifling business. Restaurants are one of the hardest businesses to make a success of in the first place. Stupid regulations and exorbitant fines just discourage free enterprise. The goal should be to remove impediments to business to encourage private development.
This is one of the stupidest VABC laws, and I’m glad that most restaurants/bars just ignore it.
Fan intellect is definitely on display here. ‘Stupidest’?
I think a lot of the ABC laws are harmful to area restaurants. I spent a little time in San Francisco this year (one of the many places in the US in which saloons are legal) and was amazed at what they do there that we can’t do here. I think if these laws were revoked restaurants might not turn over quite so fast as happy hour is a huge drive for restaurants. People that come for happy hour sometimes stay for dinner.
I know that right around 3pm I start thinking about where I’m headed and I constantly try to find out who has what specials. Right now Twitter is the best bet for getting your happy hour info on the DL and it really pays to know people who works at bars you like to frequent.