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Hospitality consulting has become more necessary than ever for BC liquor primary licensees struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. For hospitality business owners or managers, it’s difficult to stay on top of the many BC liquor license policy directives, public health orders, and WorkSafe BC re-opening safety plan guidelines. In this post, we’ll look at the most important news and changes currently affecting on-premise liquor licensees.
How Hospitality Consulting Can Help Your On-Premise Liquor Business
Our hospitality consulting services focus on businesses in the hospitality, entertainment, and tourism sector, that sell or serve liquor. These businesses are most often BC liquor primary licensees, though we also do consulting in Alberta, and the U.S.A. Hospitality businesses we most often work with include:
- Bars and pubs
- Stadiums
- Theatres
- Spas and salons
- Art galleries
- Hotels
- Motels
- Casinos
- Destination resorts
- Cruise lines
How We Help You Thrive During Uncertain Times
As hospitality consultants, we provide guidance, training, advice, and implementation of procedures that optimize hospitality service operations. Since the early 2000s, we’ve worked closely with many businesses, improving the most important aspects of operations.
- COVID-19 safety and compliance
- WorkSafe BC COVID-19 Safety Plan oversight and implementation
- Liquor license applications
- License procurement (various hospitality license)
- Liquor inventory audits and optimization
- Startup consulting
- Business premises setup
- License compliance procedures and training
Recent BC Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch Policy Directives
Following are the most recent policy directives and public health announcements that affect BC liquor primary licensees:
Nightclubs Ordered to Close
In September 2020, BC Provincial Health Officer, Bonnie Henry, ordered all BC liquor primary licensees operating as nightclubs, to close until further notice because of spikes in COVID-19 cases related to indoor gatherings. The order was updated on October 9, 2020.
Order effective until further notice.
Liquor Sales in Bars, Pubs, Restaurants Must Stop by 10 PM
The same public health order issuing a closure for nightclubs, orders all BC liquor primary (pubs, bars, lounges, tasting rooms, and private clubs), food primary licensees, and liquor primary licensees to cease liquor service by 10 pm, and close by 11 PM unless full meal service is still being provided.
Order effective until further notice.
Temporary Expanded Service Areas (TESA)
BC Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch has extended temporary expanded service areas to help restaurants, wineries, distilleries, and breweries, expand their physical service areas to accommodate social distancing requirements.
TESA provisions have been extended until October 31, 2021.
Temporary Wholesale Pricing Model
The BC government has implemented a temporary wholesale pricing model to help restaurants, bars, and tourism operations to purchase beer, wine, and spirits at reduced cost.
Effective until March 31, 2021.
Temporary Hours, Sales and Delivery
Licensee retail stores, wine stores and manufacturers with an on-site store endorsement are temporarily permitted to operate from 7 am to 11 pm, and licensees may sell liquor for delivery provided delivery does not take place from 11:30 pm to 7 am.
Effective until January 31, 2021.
See all BCLCRB policy directives.
You’ve Got Questions. Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors Has Answers
If you have a BC liquor primary or cannabis license, and you need help optimizing your business during COVID-19, we can help. Since the early days of the pandemic and during the re-opening phase, Thrive has provided hospitality consulting and advisory services to numerous hospitality business in BC, Alberta, and the U.S.A. We do the grunt work to understand policy directives, liquor license changes, public health directives, and WorkSafe BC guidelines. We don’t just provide advice, though! We also roll up our sleeves and oversee the implementation in your business. Give us a shout! You’ll be glad you did.
