(a) A Connecticut craft cafe permit shall allow the retail sale of alcoholic liquor manufactured in this state to be consumed on the premises of such cafe. The holder of such permit shall keep food available during a majority of the hours such premises are open pursuant to this subsection for sale to and consumption by customers on the premises. The availability of food from outside vendors located on or near the premises shall be deemed compliance with such requirement. The permit premises shall at all times comply with all regulations of the local department of health. Nothing herein shall be construed to require that any food be sold or purchased with any alcoholic liquor, nor shall any rule, regulation or standard be promulgated or enforced requiring that the sale of food be substantial or that the receipts of the business other than from the sale of alcoholic liquor equal any set percentage of total receipts from sales made therein. A Connecticut craft cafe permit shall allow, with the prior approval of the Department of Consumer Protection, alcoholic liquor to be served at tables in outside areas that are screened or not screened from public view where permitted by fire, zoning and health regulations. If not required by fire, zoning or health regulations, a fence or wall enclosing such outside areas shall not be required by the Department of Consumer Protection. No fence or wall used to enclose such outside areas shall be less than thirty inches high. Such permit shall also authorize the sale at retail from the premises of sealed containers supplied by the permittee of draught beer for consumption off the premises. Such sales shall be conducted only during the hours that the holder of a manufacturer permit for beer is permitted to sell alcoholic liquor under the provisions of subsection (d) of section 30-91. Not more than nine gallons of such beer shall be sold to any person on any day on which the sale of alcoholic liquor is authorized under the provisions of subsection (a) of section 30-91. The annual fee for a Connecticut craft cafe permit shall be three hundred dollars.
(b) As used in subsection (a) of this section, “craft cafe” means space in a suitable and permanent building, kept, used, maintained, advertised and held out to the public to be a place where alcoholic liquor and food is served for sale at retail for consumption on the premises but that does not necessarily serve hot meals, as specified in subsection (a) of this section, but shall have employed therein at all times an adequate number of employees. “Cafe” does not include sleeping accommodations for the public and need not necessarily have a kitchen or dining room.
(c) The holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit may purchase alcoholic liquor for resale on such permit holder's premises from the holder of a: (1) Manufacturer permit for spirits issued pursuant to subsection (a) of section 30-16, (2) manufacturer permit for beer issued pursuant to subsection (b) of section 30-16, (3) manufacturer permit for a farm winery issued pursuant to subsection (c) of section 30-16, or (4) manufacturer permit for wine, cider and mead issued pursuant to subsection (d) of section 30-16. The holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit shall not purchase the same type of alcoholic liquor such permit holder manufactures from any holder of a manufacturer permit specified in subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection. The sale of such alcoholic liquor shall not be more than twenty per cent of the Connecticut craft cafe permit holder's gross annual sales of all alcoholic liquor sold for on-premise consumption.
(P.A. 19-24, S. 18.)
History: P.A. 19-24 effective July 1, 2020.