HARRISBURG, Pa. — After Governor Wolf's Wednesday executive order stated alcohol sales in restaurants could only go with a meal, with no bar service for alcohol only, many local vineyards and breweries had to scramble to come up with a food menu with no warning the mandate was coming.
"We had maybe five hours to accomplish what we did to keep us up to date," Ernie Pinckney, Project Manager for SpringGate Vineyard and Brewery in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County said.
"Our customers actually knew before we did. We immediately started getting phone calls and emails," Sarah Haines, Partner and Director of Marketing and Sales at Grandview Vineyard in Mount Joy Township, Lancaster County said.
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Like SpringGate and Grandview, many vineyards and breweries rely on food trucks or other local businesses to come and service their food needs on their property. But with the new mandate, Governor Wolf ordered that alcohol be served only with a meal, and that meal had to occur in the same transaction as the alcohol purchase. Meaning, these businesses had to quickly come up with a way to sell some food as a meal if they wanted to stay open.
"We are providing small food options for customers to have with their wine or beer," Haines said.
"What we’re doing is selling them, it’s our meal. With every alcohol purchase, we have to sell a hot dog," Rebecca Kline, Vice President and COO of SpringGate Vineyard and Brewery said. "So, we’re selling them to start for $1 and we also have a selection of cheese and meats."
The food trucks will still be allowed on premises.
But everyone we spoke with was frustrated with the lack of warning.
"We are doing things the correct way, or what we would think are following the guidelines and yet we’re still being punished," Haines said. "Having things change so frequently is very disruptive for a business because you just can’t plan."
"We've learned to push it to the back, look forward and do with what we can," Pinckney said. "We'll catch up later and work out our frustration behind the scenes."
In the meantime, both Grandview Vineyard and SpringGate Vineyard and Brewery, now updated for the latest order, are focused on the customer and making up for lost revenue earlier in the year.
"We are doing a great job creating an environment where people can socially distance. That’s what they can expect," Haines said. "We’re still going to have music on Friday and Saturday evenings and we’re still gonna try to create that environment despite the challenges that we are facing."
"You have staffing, you have suppliers, there's a lot of work that goes behind the scenes to just be able to stay open. It can be expensive for a lot of the smaller businesses," Kline said. "If everyone gives a little, it can be a lot better."
Grandview Vineyard will still be holding outdoor weddings and other events. SpringGate Vineyard and Brewery will continue holding their outdoor gatherings as well.
For more information, you can visit Grandview Vineyard or SpringGate Vineyard and Brewery's website.