By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill moving through the Legislature would allow Uber, DoorDash and other third parties to deliver alcohol to their customers for the first time.
It is among a number of bills filed in recent years to modernize the state’s liquor laws.
Current law allows liquor store employees to deliver alcohol, but that can be cost prohibitive, said Sen. Bill Coleman.
“The margins are very, very small, but if a DoorDash or Uber were to get involved, it would certainly make it more profitable,” he said.
Coleman is the author of Senate Bill 1046 that would allow third parties to offer alcohol delivery for a fee.
The delivery radius and fees are the two issues being discussed, Coleman said.
Oklahoma has hundreds of liquor stores, he said. Each has its own service area, he said.
“Whole Foods is a driver behind this bill, and of course, they would want more than a 25-mile radius,” he said. “Their point in running this bill is they want to be able to deliver wine with groceries. You’ve got big versus little, basically.”
Some third party delivery services have programs which lower the delivery fees, while liquor stores do not, Coleman said.
“Nobody is going to drive drunk to the liquor store if they can get it delivered right to them,” he said.
While the measure increases access to alcohol, it has safeguards, such as requiring the driver’s license of the purchaser to be scanned, he said.
Robert Jernigan is president of the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma and owns Bacchus Wine and Spirits in Edmond.
He said after passage of State Question 792 in 2016, a significant number of liquor stores went out of business. The measure allowed grocery stores to sell wine and strong beer.
He said the current language in the measure is acceptable to the association.
It has previously opposed similar third-party delivery bills because the liability stayed with the liquor stores once the product was delivered, but the current bill changes that, Jernigan said.
DoorDash, a service which delivers food from restaurants and fast food establishments, supports the measure.
“In more than 30 states across the country, we have seen that safe and responsible alcohol delivery is a key driver of economic growth for small businesses and higher earnings for Dashers, all while providing new levels of safety and convenience for customers,” said Parker Dorrough, a DoorDash spokesman.
The bill passed Thursday out of the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on a 10-0 vote. Coleman, R-Ponca City, is chairman.
It is eligible to be heard on the Senate floor.
