Statewide Iowa (RI) — Uber Eats, Door Dash, and other services that deliver food would be allowed to deliver beer, wine, and liquor from a restaurant, grocery store, and other retailers if a bill that’s cleared the Iowa House becomes law.
Under current state law, bottles of alcohol may only be delivered by people employed by the retailer and that person must be driving a vehicle owned by the store or restaurant when making the delivery. Representative Mike Sexton of Rockwell City says most restaurants and grocery stores that sell wine, beer, and alcohol just don’t have enough employees to make home deliveries.
(as said) “We’re working through the end of COVID, I hope, if it helps people from staying out of a grocery store, if it helps with an employee shortage that we have in the state of Iowa,” Sexton says. “These are some of the little things we do that I think we make life better for Iowans and, ultimately, that’s the reason why we’re here.”
The legislation requires delivery services and retailers to have written agreements in order to allow a third party to deliver alcohol. Those agreements, listing names and addresses of the businesses and the delivery services involved, would have to be submitted electronically to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.
(as said) “We were doing Zoom calls with people in California and all over the place in order to make sure we got this right,” Sexton says.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. A year ago, Governor Reynolds temporarily allowed restaurants and bars to sell carry-out cocktails as part of her public health emergency proclamation. Then, last summer, Iowa became the first state in the country to pass a law making to-go cocktails legal.
Photo Caption: Rep. Mike Sexton
