Tonight’s Council Vote Could Bring Lafayette One Step Closer To Alcohol Delivery

Could Lafayette see alcohol delivery in its near future?

Tonight, the Lafayette councils (both City and Parish) will meet to discuss a number of topics including an ordinance that could help bring booze to your front door.

According to our media partners at KATC, the proposed ordinance "would set out the structure that allows companies to deliver alcohol in the city and parish."

The alcohol delivery ordinance allows employees or contractors of delivery companies with alcohol permits to deliver alcohol as long as they are 21 years old and have a bar card. Under the ordinance, only beer, wine and sparkling wine can be delivered, and it must be sealed in the manufacturer's container. Also, any alcohol delivery must contain food as well, under the terms of the ordinance.

If you're reading this you may be thinking that this is a service that would have been amazing to have a year ago when our worlds were rocked by the coronavirus pandemic. Local businesses scrambled to make mobile ordering, curbside, and delivery part of their day-to-day—but have you ever been out of wine after you're already a bottle and a half into the evening?

I've heard of Waitr delivering alcohol with food orders as well as deliveries from local Shop Rite's and businesses like Ambassador Wine and Spirits but this ordinance looks like it can get Lafayette more in line with state-level changes.

Much like what is seen in the video above from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, alcohol delivery works exactly the way it sounds. It's basically Uber Eats for booze—and speaking of Uber, they just bought Drizly, an e-commerce platform that facilitates the delivery of alcohol.

To give you a better idea of what they do, Drizly is commonly referred to as "the Amazon for liquor."

If the council votes yes it could open up more opportunities for local restaurants and retailers to offer alcohol with food orders. Of course, all of the legalities will have to be considered when it comes to who's delivering and who's receiving but we'll keep an eye on the council vote tonight.

While the thought of alcohol delivery might sound like something that could hurt the bar and nightclub industry, it could also be just as lucrative for those establishments to extend their products and do business with an audience that prefers socializing at home over stepping out.

Also, one could make the argument that people simply buying alcohol from a retailer for home consumption has existed since the dawn of sipping adult beverages.

Gallons of daiquiris delivered to your patio party? Legend's margaritas brought to your doorstep? The thought of those two things alone makes me long for summer, not to mention the idea that delivery could also potentially help to curb drinking and driving.

More details on the proposed ordinance and the other items on tonight's agenda can be found via the link below.