South Charlotte Today

Restaurants and bars, in the Charlotte area experiencing a slump in alcohol sales due to COVID-19 closures, can recoup some of those losses through a Mecklenburg County buy-back program.

The Mecklenburg County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board set aside $1 million to provide alcohol sale refunds to local businesses, the Charlotte Observer reported recently. The ABC Board manages restaurants' and bars' liquor sales, and they also have their retail stores.  

Jason Hughes, ABC Board CEO, said in a statement to the Charlotte Observer that, “Our board is committed to doing their part by joining in support of state and local relief and recovery efforts in response to this unprecedented economic disruption to our valued customers’ businesses."

In March, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an order banning dine-in services at restaurants and bars, which resulted in the closure of approximately 18,000 restaurants, according to The Center Square.

Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance,) helped ABC with the buy-back program, according to The Center Square.

“This program will help struggling bar and restaurant owners raise needed cash to withstand the economic shutdown,” Gunn told The Center Square. “This is the hardest-hit sector in our economy, and this is a simple step we can take now to help deliver some relief.”

In March, sales dropped 47.5% at restaurants and bars compared to last year, but ABC stores have seen their liquor sales increase by almost 30%, according to the Charlotte Observer.

ABC stores were deemed "essential" on March 26, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Restaurants and bars can return up to $3,000 worth of alcohol and it must be 100 bottles or less, according to the Charlotte Observer. This will be a one-time return and businesses must prove the alcohol was purchased between Jan. 1 and March 17.