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Pennsylvania Increases Off-Premises Catering Privileges for Liquor Licensees
In Pennsylvania, off-premises catering permits will now permanently offer more benefits to liquor licensees.
An off-premises catering permit is a permit that a liquor licensee can obtain in order to sell alcohol at an off-premises catered function. Off-premises catering permits are separate from a catering license and a liquor license. The Pennsylvania Liquor Code defines a “catered function” as the “furnishing of food prepared on the premises or brought onto the premises already prepared in conjunction with alcoholic beverages for the accommodation of a person or an identifiable group of people, not the general public, who made arrangements for the function at least thirty days in advance.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Act 81 of 2021 was enacted to allow Pennsylvania liquor licensees with an off-premises catering permit to host an unlimited number of catered functions to help the struggling hospitality industry generate revenue. Prior to Act 81, liquor licensees with an off-premises catering permit were only allowed to cater fifty-two events a year.
While Act 81 is set to expire at the end of 2024, in December of 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1160 and enacted Act 51 to permanently allow liquor licensees with an off-premises catering permit to serve an unlimited amount of catered events starting January 1, 2025.
Act 51 not only removed the limit on the number of catered events that a licensee with an off-premises catering permit can accommodate, but also extended the hours that a catered function can occur from five to six hours per event and the application window by removing the March 1 deadline. The new legislation applies to all Pennsylvania liquor licenses that are permitted to hold an off-premises catering permit.
Changes such as Act 51 illustrate that Pennsylvania lawmakers are listening to liquor licensees’ complaints regarding outdated laws and moving towards positive change.