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North Carolina is facing a unique shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A majority of restaurants, nightclubs and bars are having a difficult time keeping some popular brands of alcohol stocked for consumption.
A problem spawned by global supply chain issues and a worker shortages that has forced business owners to explore alternatives to mass produced products.
During a recent meeting of the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABC), chairman Zander Guy Jr. addressed the liquor shortage in the state, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Since Gov. Roy Cooper gave the go-ahead for bars to reopen in February, the struggle has been real for late-night watering holes to keep an adequate supply of liquor on hand to serve patrons. Over the past five months it has gone from bad to worse on one side with a 30 percent jump in overall sales at ABC stores across the state.
More folks are resorting to stocking up their cabinets at home. Add that to a higher demand for people seeking out bars or restaurants to break away for a return to normalcy.
However, there’s no such shortage less than 20 miles to the south.
Officials in South Carolina say the hardship being faced by those in The Tar Heel State is isolated. Most of the liquor stores across The Palmetto State are also reporting a sales increase, but they’re not at a loss for finding the brands missing from the shelves of their northern neighbors.
A root cause is bars and restaurants cannot bypass the ABC commission to purchase liquor directly from retail locations. An unfortunate factor causing frustration between owners and the commission. Until a solution is put into the works, the people of North Carolina’s largest city can expect to have dry spells over the summer.
Restaurants and bars in North Carolina facing a liquor shortage was originally published on wbt.com
