Some breweries don't want the hassle of managing kitchen and restaurant staff. Or the landlord doesn't have the necessary experience in. On July 1, licensing conditions went into effect for New Jersey breweries that limit the number of events a tavern can host annually, restrict third-party foods available on site, require breweries to offer a tour to tavern guests, and more. The opposing sides are the breweries themselves and businesses such as bars and restaurants that have liquor licensees in New Jersey, many of whom believe that the popularity of brewery taverns dilutes the value of bar and restaurant liquor licenses.
It is the only county in the state that, under health orders to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, prohibits breweries without permanent stoves from serving customers food and beer abroad. The few breweries I can think of around here that make food, they do it very well, not just low-effort bar food. Breweries, including those in Maine, often sell shirts and pint glasses, which are also not necessary for the brewing process, but don't seem to be a problem for Portland authorities. They limit the number of events breweries can host, who is allowed to drink on the premises, and whether they can serve food.
Officials with the Los Angeles Brewers Guild, which represents 95 breweries in the county, said they are puzzled by what they see as an “arbitrary decision.” It's also what excludes them from some of the most contentious discussions between craft breweries (which have repeatedly seen their ability to host events in their taverns restricted), BYOS (many of which seek elusive liquor licenses to help make a profit through the sale of alcohol) and restaurants with full bars (which often paid an exorbitant amount of money for a liquor license and feel entitled to more flexible rules than breweries). The breweries in my area are in a fairly industrial area with food options blocks away, so food trucks are a logical solution. This means that the vast majority of breweries in the state are probably the type of small tavern-focused businesses that rely on on-site sales. In New Jersey, breweries are not allowed to serve food, which means that their breweries have to obtain very specific licenses.
Other breweries rely much more than Carton on tavern events, such as corporate meetings or off-site fairs and festivals. In reality, regulators at the state, county, and local levels have always been confused about what breweries are and aren't because they don't fit perfectly into the existing industrial categories used to determine zoning and, therefore, where those businesses can operate. In Pennsylvania, breweries with 10 or fewer seats should only serve small snacks such as chips and pretzels. For example, breweries are asked to allow on-site events, such as an open mic night or a trivia night, through the ABC online portal at least 10 days in advance, and the number of such events should not exceed 25 per year.
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