LIQUOR;

LIQUOR;

You asked for a summary of state law on “juice bars. ” In particular, you wanted to know if state law prohibits mingling between patrons of the juice bar and patrons of the liquor-selling establishment.

SUMMARY

Connecticut has both state statute and regulation concerning the juice bars operated by liquor-selling establishments. The regulation and statute, which was adopted later, establish somewhat different requirements. The regulation allows an establishment to operate as a juice bar only if it (1) does not sell liquor on that day and (2) has notified the local police of the event. The statute allows a café to operate a juice bar if (1) the juice bar is in a separate room in which liquor is neither dispensed nor present and (2) the establishment has notified the local police of the event.

The Department of Consumer Protection has adopted a practice that allows juices bars to operate if the statutory requirements are met and, if not, to operate if liquor is not sold when the juice bar is operating.

The law does not require juice bars operating in cafes to have separate entrances or prohibit them from having inner doors to the part of the establishment selling liquor.

REGULATION

State regulations, first adopted in 1985 and amended in 2001, prohibit any liquor permit holder from operating a juice bar unless (1) the juice bar is operating in the entire permit premises and (2) there is no sale, consumption, dispensing or presence of alcoholic liquor on the day that the premises is being used as a juice bar. In other words, the regulations allow a liquor permit holder to hold an “all ages” event, but only if the permit holder does not sell any liquor that day.

Like the statute, the regulation requires the permit holder to notify the local police before a scheduled event at which the premises will be used as a juice bar. The notice must state the date and hours (Conn. Agencies Reg. § 30-6-A 24b).

STATUTE

By statute, a “juice bar” is an area in which nonalcoholic beverages are served to minors. The statute allows the holder of a café permit to operate a juice bar at a permit premises if the juice bar is limited to a room or an area within the premises wherein there is no sale, consumption, dispensing, or presence of alcoholic liquor.

The law requires the permit holder to notify the local police before a scheduled event at which the premises, or a portion of it, will be used as a juice bar. The notice must state the date and hours.

The juice bar statute specifies that it does not permit the sale of liquor to minors or allow the café permit holder to violate any other statute and specifically prohibits the sale or dispensing to or consumption by minors at a juice bar (CGS § 30-22c). The statute took effect August 15, 2002.

PRACTICE

In practice, the Department of Consumer Protection has adopted a policy that allows establishments holding liquor permits to operate juice bars if the bar (1) has a separate room and (2) the room does not have a bar in it. If an establishment does not have a separate room and wants to operate a juice bar for a particular event, it may do so if it (1) does not sell liquor on that day, and (2) notifies the local police of the event.

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