You can now take out wine and beer with your food order

On Friday, April 17, Governor Walz signed into law an amendment allowing licensed restaurants to sell alcohol to-go. Governor Walz signed the bill after it was passed by the Senate (65 to 2) and the House (129 to 1). The legislation took effect over the last weekend on Saturday, April 18.

When speaking on the law Governor Walz said;

This is a small but important step to provide relief for the local restaurants that are struggling to keep their lights on during this pandemic.This will allow Minnesotans to continue to support their favorite local businesses. The restaurant industry is finding creative ways to keep Minnesotans fed and happy during this challenging time, and we’re going to help them out.

A lot of legislators have expressed similar sentiments as far as what the amendment is intended to do. Representative Tony Jurgens for instance likened the bill to a small gesture to help bars and restaurants;

This isn’t going to be a make or break for them. It will help. It will help them a little bit with their cash floor. It will help them be able sell the product they’ve already paid for, product that’s been gathering dust for the last several weeks.

More can be done to reopen Minnesota

I agree.  Restaurants will be competing with other liquor establishments to attract customers. This amendment gives them a chance to at least be able to make up for what could possibly be lost business. This amendment furthermore increases the choice for consumers. This is indeed a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done in getting Minnesota to reopen.