SCOOP: LCBO discount for restaurant biz
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ABOVE THE FOLD
SCOOP — BOOZE NEWS: Restaurant and bar owners are buzzing over rumours that the Ford government is poised to bring in an LCBO retail discount for the industry.
It’s going to be in the “double digits” and permanent, one industry source told me, adding that official word could drop as soon as today.
“BIG news. This is decades in the making,” a source texted.
While the province has loosened up booze sales rules to help the revenue-strapped industry amid the pandemic — including permanently allowing alcohol with takeout orders — restaurant owners have long called for a discount or wholesale pricing on products from the LCBO. Thanks to the markup, restauranteurs can cough up as much or more than what retail customers pay.
That policy is what fuelled blowback earlier this year when Skip the Dishes linked up with the LCBO to offer alcohol delivery at prices that restaurants just couldn’t compete with — so the partnership was put on hold.
An LCBO discount or wholesale pricing has been on the Tories radar for some time — it was recommended back in 2019 in a report by special adviser KEN HUGHES.