Pa. liquor law changes, including expanded happy hour, await Gov. Shapiro’s signature

More and longer happy hours and discounts that bar and restaurant owners would be able to offer are part of changes in Pennsylvania’s liquor laws, which have been approved by state lawmakers.Len Semplice, owner of Redbeard’s Bar & Grill in Mount Washington and Downtown Pittsburgh, believes the changes will definitely increase business.”Now they want to expand the happy hour from 14 hours to 24 hours (a week). I never personally understood why it was only the 14 hours you were only able to give a special on alcohol because we, as owners and bartenders and servers, we’re all certified when to shut off a customer and when not to shut off a customer,” Semplice told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.The changes have been approved by the state House and Senate and sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro for his signature. They would take effect 60 days after he signs the legislation.”I think it’s a positive. I think it will definitely give us and the industry as a whole some more flexibility to do different things to drive guests into the building, and I think the guests can appreciate it too,” said Eugene Mangrum, operating partner at Shiloh Gastro in Mount Washington. “People aren’t spending money like they used to, so any discount that can put in place to help them out, I think, would be appreciated and well received by the community at large.” Customers who spoke with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 agree.”I’m all for it. Anything that helps the tavern owners and the consumer. It’s a great idea, and it’s good for the state of Pennsylvania,” said Gary Beswick, a restaurant patron at Shiloh Gastro.”I think it’s a great idea. I think it will bring a lot of people out and help support the businesses. It will bring more financials into the community. All around, I think it’s a win-win,” Katie Schuett, a customer at Shiloh Gastro.”I think that it’s going to be great for the Pittsburgh community to have a chance to get into these new changes and get out more. It’s a great nightlife here. I think that will give us a chance to enjoy that more,” said Kennedy McKinney, a restaurant patron at Sienna Mercato in the Cultural District downtown. “I think that will help a lot of businesses, and also, working people after work will have more time now to enjoy themselves after working and take a nice load off after the long day.”Torri Sealey, another patron at Sienna Mercato, said, “I think these changes will be a good thing for the Pittsburgh area, being that it’s going to start reaching more audiences that might not have the opportunity to come and enjoy happy hour.”Expanded seating for serving alcohol outdoors, which was approved during the pandemic, will be made permanent under the legislation.Brett Sanders, the bar manager at Sienna Mercato, likes the change to allow drinks as part of discounted combo meals and being able to include up to two drinks in the tickets for events.”We don’t run a very long happy hour here in our business to begin with, so I don’t know that the increase in happy hour is really going to affect us, although I do know that will positively affect a lot of the businesses around us,” Sanders said.”I had no idea that was even governed by law, so it’s a little surprising,” said Ron Baraff, a customer at Shiloh Gastro. “Anything that brings more people in and gets them spending more money in establishments like this is a good thing.”Mangrum welcomes the boost in happy hours allowed per week.”I think it’s a positive. I think it gives us the opportunity to do something maybe later at night. I don’t know what the restrictions are with regard to timing,” Mangrum said.Semplice likes all of the changes.”Every one of the changes are definitely going to increase business,” Semplice said. “Restaurants are still suffering right now. It never came back the way it was before (the pandemic), so we have to try to reinvent our businesses and try different things to bring in customers.”