Testimony in Support of H.B. 46 - Ohio Restaurant Association (March 10, 2021)

Summary

Ohio Restaurant Association testimony in support of H.B. 46, dated March 10, 2021, addressed to Chair Stein and the members of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. The testimony cites Ohio's 23,000 restaurant and foodservice locations and 585,000 restaurant and foodservice employees, and thanks Representatives Miller and Carruthers for sponsoring the legislation. It says on-premises liquor permit holders still operate under the Dine Safe Ohio capacity limitations and supports the provision on using gift cards for both on-premises and off-premises consumption. The testimony ends with the name Tod Bowen, Managing Director of External Affairs and Government Relations.

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                 Ohio Restaurant Association Testimony in Support of H.B. 46

March 10, 2021

Chair Stein, Vice-Chair Johnson, Ranking Member Lepore-Hagan and Members of the House
Commerce and Labor Committee:
On behalf of Ohio’s 23,000 restaurant and foodservice locations and Ohio’s 585,000 restaurant
and foodservice employees, the Ohio Restaurant Association appreciates the opportunity to
support H.B. 46 and thanks Representatives Miller and Carruthers for sponsoring this
legislation.
Nearly one year removed from the onset of the pandemic and the resulting restrictions on Ohio’s
hospitality businesses, many are just now beginning the path to recovery. While there is more
hope amongst Ohio’s hospitality community than at any time since the pandemic began, for
many sectors the path back is long and there is no certainty that all of Ohio’s restaurants, bars,
breweries and other hospitality businesses will survive.
One of the sectors that faced the most enduring restrictions and faces one of the longest roads
back is on-premises liquor permit holders. We appreciate all that the legislature has done to
help these businesses, including the bar and restaurant grant program authorized and
administered at the end of 2020. Additional relief will make a difference for these deeply
impacted businesses which still do not have full use of their liquor permits, as they continue to
operate under the Dine Safe Ohio capacity limitations.
And in relation to the provision in this legislation regarding the use of gift cards more fully for
on-premises consumption, this is a timely fix to a restriction that was put in place well before
the advent of craft breweries, local distillers and other such local establishments that have since
become so important to their communities. This fix will be meaningful to those establishments,
especially coming off of a long, restricted winter where some customers bought gift cards
proactively to help their community’s establishments survive. Giving them the flexibility to fully
use that gift card for both on-premises and off-premises consumption is timely and important.
Thank you for considering this fix in this legislation.
Thank you again for the opportunity to support this timely legislation and for all you are doing
to help Ohio and Ohio’s businesses on this important road to recovery.

Tod Bowen
Managing Director of External Affairs and Government Relations
Ohio Restaurant Association


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