Manitoba restaurants allowed to sell alcohol through take out and delivery

New legislation introduced on December 3rd, 2019 will make it possible for restaurants in the province to sell alcohol through take out and delivery.

Dec 18, 2019 - EightSix Staff

Restaurants Canada reports that seven out of ten surveyed foodservice establishments believed that they would benefit from being able to sell alcohol to their customers to enjoy off-site.

This is a big win for the restaurant industry that has seen costs rise across all of their major inputs: labour, food and rent. 

Manitoba is not the first jurisdiction to allow alcohol sales of this kind: Quebec allows restaurants to sell beer and wine through takeout and delivery; PEI allows for the sale of locally produced alcoholic beverages and even some establishments in BC and Alberta can sell their customers a limited amount of beer or wine to take home.

However, Manitoba's new model is by far the most comprehensive as under these new rules, licensed foodservice establishments will be able to sell beer, wine, cider and coolers for off-site consumption.

This is a great first step to help level the playing field for restaurants who have seen competition from other businesses such as small liquor producers. For instance, consumers can already enjoy a meal at a winery, distillery or craft brewery and then buy an alcoholic beverage product - wine, beer or spirit - to go while restaurants can't offer the same to-go products for their customers. 

Now all we need is other provinces to join Manitoba's lead in allowing all restaurants to be able to sell a diverse range of alcohol products through take out and delivery. Let's hope this is the first of many legislation changes to come.

Read full story: Manitoba restaurants allowed to sell alcohol through take out and delivery - Published Dec 11, 2019 on Restaurants Canada