Moviegoers might find it easier to grab a beer at their nearest theater thanks to a bill introduced on the first day of the legislative session.
Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, introduced a bill to the Regulating Substances and Gaming Committee on Monday. This bill would remove the restriction that spirits, beer and wine theaters can only obtain a license and sell liquor if the theater has less than 120 seats per screen.
Currently, movie theaters, defined as places of business where motion pictures and entertainment are shown, cannot possess this liquor license unless they have no more than the maximum number of seats per screen, and are maintained as a place for preparing, cooking and serving meals for in-theater dining, similar to a restaurant. This license is issued to theaters by the Liquor and Cannabis Board.
“It’s good for an industry that is, you know, a lot more locally owned than people realize, and I think has struggled in the years after the pandemic,” Corry said. “This would be one way to, you know, help grow the theater-going audience and provide a really good avenue for a family or couple to go out and enjoy a movie together.”
The license applies to all theaters, independent and corporate-owned theaters, Corry said. The proposed bill would allow alcohol service in larger screening rooms of local and corporate theaters.
The Garland, a second-run movie theater located in Spokane’s Garland District, allows patrons to bring beer and wine into their single-screen theater of around 500 seats. The Bon Bon, a bar attached to the theater, sells more than 15 specialty cocktails.
Chris Bovey, new co-owner of the business, said moviegoers can enjoy cocktails at the bar but they can’t bring them into the theater. The previous owner only had a beer and wine theater license.
“The theater has been able to operate with beer and wine inside for many years,” Bovey said.
The Garland is currently shut down as new co-owners Bovey, Tyler Arnold and Jasmine Barnes obtain licenses and figure out logistics, but the Bon Bon should be reopening in March or April, Arnold said.
Arnold has applied for the spirits, beer and wine license, but even if the new owners can obtain it under the new bill, he said the theater would continue to cater toward families, because beer and wine tend to be more family-friendly.
“There are plenty of places to get a drink, but not a whole lot of affordable places to take a family out for entertainment,” he said.
Any source of income, whether it comes from alcohol or elsewhere, is a bonus for the business, Arnold said, because there’s not a whole lot of revenue that comes from the movie ticket itself, and they would like to keep ticket prices low.
If theaters are visited frequently by those who are under the legal drinking age, an alcohol control plan is required to be written, dated, signed and sent to the LCB designating when and where alcohol will be served. This ensures minors will not be able to obtain alcohol even if it is served in the theater.
Theaters must also serve alcoholic beverages in distinctly different containers compared to those used for nonalcoholic drinks.
After the first reading, representatives split into their respective caucus by party. If the bill makes it out of committee it will move to the House floor. The committee heard no public comment.
