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Utah Senate approves bill to let licensed restaurants sell liquor at noon on weekdays
Summary
The Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 7 to move the earliest lawful service time for liquor in licensed restaurants from 1 p.m. to noon on weekdays, supporters saying it will help tourism and create parity with private clubs; opponents raised questions about task-force chronology and road-safety risks. The bill passed on a recorded roll call.
Senators voted to allow licensed restaurants to begin serving alcoholic beverages at noon on weekdays after lengthy debate on the floor. Senator Steiner, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the change would remove an “annoyance and confusion” for tourists and help Utah compete with other destinations. "There's approximately 300 licensed restaurants in the state out of a total of about 3,000," Steiner said, adding the measure affects roughly 10 percent of restaurants.
Steiner cited a 1990 Liquor Control Task Force report, business testimony and comments from a restaurant owner who said lunchtime liquor sales are small: "Gastronomy's average daily liquor sales in their clubs amounted to no more than $37 a day in the period from 11:30 in the morning until 4 p.m.," Steiner quoted.
Senator Hilliard questioned whether the task force that produced the cited report still speaks for current practice and said he wanted time to consult the former task-force chair. He also voiced concern about drivers consuming larger quantities midday and urged caution. "I think I would feel more comfortable voting for this bill if I had a chance to visit with Senator Carling," Hilliard said.
Other supporters noted the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and the citizens advisory committee on alcohol raised no objections in committee, and that server training and modern controls reduce the risk of daytime overconsumption. Senator Mantis said the commission "had no problem" with the one-hour change and urged colleagues to consider fairness to restaurants and convenience for tourists.
The Senate called the question and recorded the vote. The chair announced the result and placed SB7 on the third-reading calendar; the later roll-call summary read back in the journal shows the bill passed with a recorded tally reported by the presiding officer.
The next procedural steps recorded in the day's business were placement of SB7 on the third-reading calendar and subsequent processing by Senate clerks for transmission or further action as required by legislative rules.
