Drink Laws + CBD + Minimum Wage Increases + ADA Compliance

Following the law is the law. But in the alcohol beverage industry, keeping up with the lightning-fast rate at which new rules are created and old ones evolve can be as challenging as trying to predict what millennials will want to drink next.

The Republican-controlled 115th Congress passed more legislation than any other in recent history, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. Between kick off in January 2017 and the conclusion of the games on January 3, 2018, Congress enacted 442 public laws, 69 percent of which Pew deemed "substantive." (The remaining were ceremonial, the renaming of post offices and similar lackluster, largely bureaucratic flourishes of the wand).

But laws in all 50 states are constantly changing as well, meaning that rules regarding the sale, distribution, and importation of alcohol in each state are often considered to be the responsibility of local jurisdictions. Those local jurisdictions then interpret and enforce a combination of federal, state, and local laws regarding the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcohol.

Everything Restaurants Need to Know About ADA Compliance

December 2019 via QSR Magazine

The number of Americans living with disabilities is larger than many think. The Census Bureau reports that more than one in 10 of us—12.7 percent—have a disability that impacts major life activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the number at one in four U.S. adults, or 61 million people.

This demographic makes up a sizable group of existing and potential restaurant customers. "People with disabilities are sometimes your most loyal customers," says Shawn Pike, vice president at User1st, which provides Americans with Disabilities Act (ada) website accessibility services. "There’s an opportunity there."