Wegmans cafe gets OK to sell beer, wine
By ALISSA EATON aeaton@sungazette.comArticle Photos
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board granted a restaurant liquor license to the store about a week ago, but no “roll out schedule” has been set, Jo Natale, Wegmans director of media relations, said.
“We received approval for seven of our stores,” Natale said, mentioning those in State College, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Erie.
The license allows the 201 William St. store to sell 192 ounces of beer, the equivalent of 16 12-ounce containers, for take-out and serve wine or beer as a compliment to a meal in the Market Cafe, Natale said.
She was unsure if the license would allow for Sunday sales.
Mike Ruby, general manager of the area Wegmans, was not available for comment.
It does not allow Wegmans to sell beer in the supermarket area of the store, she said. The store also will not be able to sell any single open container of alcoholic beverage for consumption outside the establishment.
About one year ago, another Wegmans spokeswoman, Jeanne Colleluori, said a separation was needed between the store and the Market Cafe, and the application included those construction plans.
The Market Cafe will need “minor interior renovations” to comply with state laws, Natale said.
Three Wegmans stores have restaurant liquor licenses pending with the liquor control board. Those stores are in Downingtown, Harrisburg and a second in Erie.
The liquor control board is an independent administrative board consisting of three members appointed by the governor. Its duties are to buy, import and sell liquor through a system of state-owned liquor stores, according to its Web site.
The board also controls the manufacturing, possession, sale, consumption, importation, use, storage, transportation and delivery of all alcoholic beverages in the state.
The board also reviews applications for liquor licenses and approves them on a case-by-case basis.
