Category: Restaurant / Liquor License

Bar Bikers Beware

        We have heard about so-called “Biker Bars” and today we will coin a new term: “Bar Bikers.”  Bar Bikers are people who ride their bikes to the bar, have a few drinks, and later ride off on their “merry” way.  Bar Bikers can be… Continue reading

Responding to a Liquor License Citation

Sale of alcohol is regulated by both the federal government and the Commonwealth.  The agency that regulates and controls the sale of alcohol in Pennsylvania is the Liquor Control Board (LCB).  Before a restaurant, bar, deli, brewery, hotel or similar establishment can legally sell alcohol… Continue reading

Ice Beer – – Yum!

Although it is not promoted widely by the beer manufacturers, ice beer (also known as eisbock, the German designation for it) may be working its way into your consciousness. It is manufactured by taking ordinary beer and sending it to subfreezing temperatures. (Note that this… Continue reading

Major Changes Proposed for the Liquor Control Board

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has been criticized broadly for years for many of its policies, perhaps none more than those involving retail sales of wine and liquor.  The complaints are usually that prices are too high and selection too limited.  With a new administration… Continue reading

A Night Out Turns Lethal – – Whose Fault?

There’s an old joke which involves a young man who shoots his parents; when he is standing before the court, about to be sentenced for murder, he asks the judge to be lenient with him since he is an orphan.   Somewhat akin to that… Continue reading

Wegmans Pops a Cork to Celebrate Its New Store

An innovative supermarket has sparked a legal battle in Pennsylvania.   Wegmans, the high-end supermarket chain, recently opened a new store near Collegeville. This location marks the seventy-fourth store in its chain and the fourteenth in Pennsylvania. Wegmans stores usually boast coffee shops, bakeries, and… Continue reading

Wine Boutiques in Pennsylvania?

      As part of its plan to evolve into a customer-focused specialty retailer, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“LCB”) is investigating the idea of wine “boutiques.”  These boutiques would operate as sublets from high-end gourmet food shops in select Pennsylvania communities.  The LCB is proposing… Continue reading

Let’s Clear the Air (and It Better Be Alcohol-Free!)

Things, they are a-changing. It appears as though we are headed toward virtually a zero-tolerance level with people who have been convicted more than one time of operating under the influence of alcohol (usually referred to as “DUI”). Over the past couple of decades we… Continue reading

Pennsylvania’s Implied Consent Law

At social gatherings the presence of alcoholic beverages is common, and many people believe that they can have a couple of drinks and still be in reasonable condition to drive home. While consuming one or two drinks may not render you “legally” intoxicated, there is… Continue reading

Dram Shop Litigation

In the past decade a major body of law has developed around accidents involving people who have been served alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, the so-called “dram shop” cases. Our courts have determined that if the owner of a bar serves an alcoholic beverage… Continue reading