News Release: May is Tavern Month – Let's Celebrate!

May is Tavern Month…Let’s Celebrate!

Raise a glass to the places that sustain America’s rich tradition of hospitality

 

BETHESDA, MDApril 29, 2016 – America’s beer, wine and spirits retailers are encouraging their customers, colleagues and communities to join them this May in celebration of National Tavern Month.  Since 1953, Tavern Month has served as an opportunity to support local hospitality businesses, promote the responsible service and enjoyment of beverage alcohol, and educate everyone about the economic engine formed by the tens of thousands of on-premise beverage licensees throughout the United States.

 

“Every day across the country, American bars and taverns provide food, drink and hospitality to millions of customers in diverse settings and with more beer, wine and spirits options than ever before,” said John Bodnovich, Executive Director of American Beverage Licensees (ABL). “They’re providing unmatched product choice and service while contributing significantly to their national, state and local economies in the form of jobs created, taxes paid and overall economic impact.”

 

Direct retail alcohol sales in on-premise, licensed establishments account for as many as 1.23 million jobs; $31.7 billion in wages and benefits; and more than $76 billion in economic output according to the 2014 Economic Impact Study of America’s Beer, Wine and Spirits Retailers.  When including all sales by on-premise, full-service restaurants and drinking places, those numbers climb to 3.94 million jobs; $96.8 billion in wages and benefits; and over $241 billion in economic impact.

 

For hundreds of years, taverns have worked in their communities – large and small – to provide the best is hospitality and beverage service.  Since the repeal of Prohibition, on-premise licensees have flourished under the three-tier system that has allowed them to focus on customer service and satisfaction, while also working with supplier and distributor partners to create an unsurpassed chain of product accountability and quality that is the envy of countries around the world.

 

Bars and taverns are proving grounds for new cocktails, beer styles and wines, forums for political debate, bastions for like-minded sports fans and otherwise meeting places for business and pleasure. Bar and tavern owners continue to place a strong emphasis on responsible service by training employees and incorporating programs to promote responsibility.  By utilizing technology and working with enforcement and regulatory groups, licensees are doing their part to continue a tradition of responsibility.

 

The growth of technology and changing lifestyles mean that hospitality businesses are always adapting to meet the needs of modern customers and their evolving tastes.  In addition to constantly evaluating their business models, many bar and tavern owners must also navigate an opaque music licensing marketplace. They continue to call for an improved music licensing ecosystem that will make rights ownership information, licensing fee distribution and billing practices more transparent.

 

This May, join ABL in embracing the historic and modern roles of the American tavern, the people who work hard to keep the doors of their businesses open and the good jobs they provide their communities. Celebrate Tavern Month this May by raising a glass to the American tavern – the friendliest place in town!

 

View a Tavern Month FAQ sheet here.

View a Tavern Month poster here.

View the Tavern Month logo here.

 

Why are you stopping by your local tavern?

  • My friend is a part-time bartender and I like to stop in and visit with him.
  • The tavern sponsors my bowling team, so I support them with my business.
  • I love to end my work week with a cocktail at our local watering hole with my co-workers.
  • It’s a great place to meet-up with my old friends in my home town.
  • The bar has the sports package, so friends who root for different teams get together to watch games on the weekend.
  • The mixologist is always coming up with interesting new cocktails to try.
  • They always have a new beer on draft, along with a bunch of other familiar brands.
  • My friends meet up for trivia night every Tuesday at our neighborhood pub.
  • They have a reputation for “carding hard” so I know they won’t serve my teenage son.
  • At my local wine bar, the owner finds new and interesting wines to put on the menu.
  • We meet up there after our softball league games for beer and wings.
  • My favorite bar has been around for forty years and I feel it’s important to support local small businesses.
  • We rented out a private room at the bar for a reception after our wedding. We had a blast!
  • I like to taste different whiskeys before I decide to buy a bottle at my local package liquor store.

Tell us why you’re stopping by your local bar or tavern @ablusa  #TavernMonth

 

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American Beverage Licensees (ABL) is the preeminent national trade association for beverage alcohol retailers. Direct retail beverage alcohol sales in the United States generate as many as 1.77 million well-paying jobs. ABL’s thousands of on-premise and off-premise licensee members are independent and often family-owned establishments.  The beverage retailing industry pays over $36 billion in federal, state and local taxes. To learn more about ABL, visit www.ablusa.org.  For additional updates from ABL, follow @ablusa on Twitter and visit www.facebook.com/ablusa