The Georgia General Assembly has officially passed SB 236 that allows Georgia’s restaurants to offer cocktails to-go with food orders. The bill is now headed to Governor Brian Kemp’s desk for signature. The restaurant industry was one of the hardest impacted by the coronavirus, and the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) successfully introduced and advocated for this legislation to assist restaurants in their recovery.   

“We are appreciative of our state legislators’ support of Georgia’s restaurant industry in passing this bill,” said GRA president & CEO Karen Bremer. “By allowing cocktails to-go, restaurants that are still struggling to keep their doors open now have another opportunity to offer guests a full-service dining experience in their own homes. Our sincerest thanks to Senator Matt Brass and all of SB 236’s sponsors for their hard work.”

While recognized by the state, municipalities will have the ability to opt-out of this allowance in their code of ordinances. If not prohibited by local governments, restaurants must abide by the following regulations:

• Must ensure that the individual picking up the order is of legal age

• Provide tamper-proof, sealed packaging for the cocktail beverages

• Cocktails must not contain more than three (3) ounces of distilled spirits

• Must be prepared by a restaurant employee on the day of sale

• No more than two (2) mixed drinks per adult entrée order

• Must include a sales receipt with a time stamp on the to-go order

• Must confirm that the order is for personal consumption, not third-party delivery/delivery service