'A huge success': The selling of wine 'to go' in restaurants

(Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes, but a permanent move to sell alcohol ‘to-go’ with food takeout and delivery orders has been a welcome move by many.

Customers love it, and businesses say it was a much-needed boost to sales. Some establishments have even taken it to another level by creating ‘wine boutique’ shops.

Leila Ayoub is a customer at La Bottega in Ottawa’s ByWard Market; she’s doing something, that wasn’t allowed before the pandemic — she’s buying wine to go.

“I’m having some friends for dinner, and I thought it would be nice to have some wine and a charcuterie board, so I’m here picking up cold cuts, bread,” she tells CTV News Ottawa.

For her, buying everything at the same place is not just about the convenience.

“You’re getting specialty wines that you can’t really find at the big-box stores,” she says.

Restaurants with an existing liquor license are allowed to sell alcohol to-go, as long as it’s purchased with food takeout. It’s a move that has many raising a glass - or a bottle.

“Luckily, this was a silver lining of the pandemic,” says Larissa Beznachuk-Smyrnew, the in-house wine-expert at La Bottega. “It was a great way to get sales going.”

Some establishments, like La Bottega, have even created a ‘wine boutique,’ where customers can browse an extensive collection.

“Now, it’s evolved into this great Italian wine shop. We actually expanded our selection; we have about 200 Italian labels of wine now,” says Beznachuk-Smyrnew, “None of these wines are on the LCBO store shelves.”

Next door at Lollo, you can find speciality wines from around the world. On Somerset Street West, Corner Peach sells many natural wines.

“There are a majority of Canadian options as well, a lot of stuff from Prince Edward County, and from B.C - but, it’s a little bit of everything,” says Caroline Murphy, co-owner.

Being allowed to sell it is good news.

“Selling wine was a big reason why we were able to continue and keep our business afloat during the pandemic.”

Tony Elenis of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) says selling alcohol helped.

“The delivery of beverage alcohol, period, has been a huge success as restaurants adopted it and many have, we estimated around 25 per cent, jumped to bring in takeout and delivery.”

He says chefs became creative as well.

“These folks running restaurants are very creative and many have incorporated the likes of wines and meal kits, food pairings, culinary themes such as south of France, Spain, and Italy.”