Liquor Industry Update: December 22, 2022

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues, 

Here's what you’ll find in today’s update:

  • ABLE BC Holiday Office Closure & Post-Holiday Reception

  • What to Look Forward to in 2023 with ABLE BC

  • Order Your 2023 Drivers License ID Checking Guides Now

  • Off-Site Alcohol Sales Must be made with Purchase of a Meal

  • Food Delivery Fees are Changing in January

  • Premier Eby Releases Ministerial Mandate Letters

  • A Message from BCHF Executive Director Alana Dickson

  • Save the Date: Upcoming Events and Webinars

  • Benefit Highlight: VI Banking

  • Celebrating our Industry

  • Out and About with ABLE BC! 

  • Join ABLE BC Today!

Find all past updates here.

ABLE BC Holiday Office Closure & Post-Holiday Reception

The ABLE BC office will be closed from December 23, 2022-January 6, 2023. We will not be sending out a newsletter during this period but we will be sure to keep you informed should anything urgent arise. We will resume the bi-weekly Industry Update newsletter on January 12, 2023.

Save the date! ABLE BC will be hosting a post-holiday reception and Annual General Meeting on January 26, 2023 in Vancouver. We will be sharing more details soon.

What to Look Forward to in 2023 With ABLE BC

NEW login and members-only page for ABLE members. Over the past year, we’ve put a lot of work into creating a new member management system with Member365. All ABLE BC members will soon receive new login credentials and access to our brand new members-only website. We’ll continue to add and improve features all throughout 2023. Stay tuned for more information!

ABLE BC Annual General Meeting. Our AGM is coming up on January 26, 2023 in Vancouver. We will share more details in the coming weeks.

LRS and LP Benchmark surveys. Since 2018, we have worked with Paul Rickett or VARKeting! to conduct an annual LRS Benchmark Survey. This survey helps develop KPIs and benchmarks for your business. This year we will also be releasing the first-ever LP Benchmark Survey as well. The surveys will open in early 2023 to capture data from 2022. Results will be shared with members and in The Quarterly Pour.

Events and webinars. We are busy planning next year’s calendar of events. Throughout the year, we’ll be bringing you webinars on topics important to your business like acing your liquor inspection, understanding tips & payroll taxes, e-commerce, and more.

Throughout the spring and summer, ABLE’s executive director Jeff Guignard will be touring BC once again to meet with members and industry professionals. We’ll be hosting industry meetings in Whistler, Northern BC, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, and the Kootenays. In October 2023, we’ll be working with our friends at the BC Hotel Association to bring you the second edition of SPARK: BC’s Hotel & Liquor Conference. More details on events times and locations to come.

Policy and advocacy work. As always, we will continue to fight for your businesses and our industry every day. We will continue our regular meetings with the LRS and LP committees to ensure we're focusing our energy on the issues that matter most to you. We will continue to meet with both municipal and provincial government officials and make sure they fully understand the needs of BC's private liquor industry.

What would you like to see from ABLE BC in 2023? Get in touch with us at info@ablebca.ca to let us know.

Order Your 2023 Drivers License ID Checking Guides Now

The NEW 2023 North American ID Checking Guide and 15th Edition International ID Checking Guide are now available to order through ABLE BC.

Each edition includes additions of new licenses and ID cards and the elimination of no longer current formats. There are also dozens of important changes with respect to interim licenses, enhanced licenses, terms of licenses and other details such as changes to security features.

The 15th Edition International Guide covers driver’s licenses and ID cards from 174 countries with many new format ID documents added to this edition. Full page coverage of each country’s IDs make it easy to check the material, the codes, and the security features of each documents. 

The 2023 North American Guide is a comprehensive volume of all valid IDs in both the US and Canada.

Place your order HERE by Friday, January 20, 2023.

The ID Checking Guidebooks help you and your staff make accurate, on-the-spot verification of driver's licenses and ID cards - your best protection against ID fraud. These books also help ensure you are kept updated on the latest versions of all ID formats. 

Anticipated 2023 prices:

  • North American Guidebook: $16.60 USD per book

  • International Guidebook: $37.00 USD per book

  • Please note these prices do not include shipping and handling or reflect the US-Canadian conversion rate

Expected shipping date: February-March 2023

ABLE BC members get exclusive access to our group-buying discount. We will place a bulk order and the cost is dependent on the quantity ordered. In prior years, we have secured the lowest cost for our members, based on the large quantity ordered.

Non-ABLE BC members can also access the group-buying discount. Please note there is a $15 surcharge on non-member orders.

Place your order by January 20, 2023.

Off-Site Alcohol Sales Must be made with Purchase of a Meal

Last year, ABLE BC, the BCRFA, and other partner associations advocated for Liquor Primary and Food Primary licensees to be able to sell liquor for offsite consumption with the purchase of a meal. The Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation Branch (LCRB) granted this authorization on October 29, 2022 with Policy Directive 21-21.

We have heard concerning reports that during recent inspections to test licensee compliance, every establishment inspected by the LCRB sold single-serving drinks without any food at all.

The disregard for this policy is deeply troubling to ABLE BC. We fought hard to find ways for LP and FP licensees to have realistic options to recover from the pandemic, and we want to ensure that this new revenue stream remains in place.

If non-compliance continues, it is possible that the LCRB will make a recommendation to government that this permission be removed. We expect industry to respect this policy and immediately stop the sale of offsite liquor without food.

For clarity, if you are selling liquor for takeout or delivery, it must be sold with a meal. This authorization is not intended to allow LP and FP licensees to operate like liquor stores, but rather to have an additional revenue stream and offer more options to customers.

The LCRB has not defined what constitutes a meal. This has been intentional, to provide licensees with flexibility while expecting that they operate in good faith.

To help establishments be compliant, the LCRB offers this guidance:

  • If the order includes liquor, the focus of the transaction or order should be the food.

  • Consider what is commonly understood to be a meal. Cheese and crackers, chips, or a plate of French fries is not a meal. 

  • Refer to your own menu and how you’ve categorized food options for your patrons. For example, meals are not found in the ‘appetizer’ section of a menu, so one appetizer does not satisfy the requirement. However, it is not uncommon for someone to order two or more appetizers to make a meal. That would satisfy the requirement. For establishments that do not define their menu items in this way, use the first two considerations. 

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure staff are only selling liquor for off-site consumption in conjunction with the sale of a meal. Staff need to be prepared to demonstrate to a liquor inspector how they are meeting this requirement. 

If you have questions about this policy, please contact ABLE BC's Executive Director Jeff Guignard at jeff@ablebc.ca.

Food Delivery Fees are Changing in January

This fall, the BC Government passed Bill 33 - Food Delivery Service Fee Act to permanently regulate fees charged to pubs, bars, and restaurants by food delivery platform operators like Door Dash, Skip the Dishes, and Uber Eats.

What does this mean for your pub, bar, or restaurant?

  • On December 31st, 2022, the temporary 20% food delivery service fee cap implemented for the pandemic will expire.

  • Starting January 1st, 2023, food delivery platform operators must permanently offer restaurants a core services option of no more than 20%. This includes, at a minimum, the ability for your customers to place orders online and get delivery of those orders from your restaurant.

  • However, you now have the flexibility to add extra services and options above the 20%. For example, you may choose to pay more for marketing and demand generation, rent your tablet, and/or offer your consumers a lower delivery fee.

What should you do now?

  • Expect to hear from your food delivery services in early 2023.

  • Do some research in advance. As an example, DoorDash and Uber Eats have both introduced new tiered offers.  

  • If your food delivery service does not offer you a core services 20% option in the new year, let us know at info@ablebc.ca.

Premier Eby Releases Ministerial Mandate Letters

Earlier this month, Premier David Eby issued ministerial mandate lettersfor all members of the Executive Council (Cabinet). These provide some insight into priorities for each ministry going forward but aren’t the only thing that guides ministerial decision-making.

All letters include references to Premier Eby’s top priorities:

  • attainable and affordable housing

  • safer communities

  • improved health care

  • a sustainable, clean, secure, and fair economy

Click here to read the mandate letters.

A Message from BCHF’s Executive Director Alana Dickson

I can hardly believe 2022 is nearing an end. 

I am one month short of my first year at the BC Hospitality Foundation, and I am happy to say that it has been a wonderful experience reconnecting with the hospitality industry as the Executive Director.

It has been a busy year, and coming back from the Pandemic restrictions has not been a smooth ride for the Hospitality Industry, but with the support of our donors, sponsors and volunteers, this year was a success.

Year-end recap:

The coming year holds many new opportunities and some challenges, but your board of directors and staff are committed to improving the lives of our beneficiaries and scholarship recipients.

The BCHF Board of Directors has worked to provide guidance and direction for the next year with a focus on our successful events and pursuing new partnerships with a focused "ask" from our supporters at the beginning of the year. We hope to secure new Sponsorships that will help us strengthen our links with the industry and, more importantly, create awareness among potential new beneficiaries.

We will also work with our valued Industry Advisory Council, focusing on their strengths and what they can bring to the Foundation.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone that has supported the Foundation either as a donor, sponsor or volunteer and, in particular, our Board of Directors, who dedicate many volunteer hours to make sure that we continue to be strong and our Beneficiary Liaison who diligently undertakes the review of all the applications for support submitted.

All the best to you and your loved ones for this Holiday Season and 2023!

Alana

Save the Date: Upcoming Events and Webinars

BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference March 1-3, 2023

The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) and the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) are excited to announce the 2023 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference will return March 1-3, 2023.

The 2023 conference will take place in Prince George and will bring an array of unique industry speakers and topics relating to the next chapter of tourism and hospitality within our province.

Click here to learn more.

Vancouver Cocktail Week March 5-11, 2023

Presented by The Alchemist magazine, the second annual Vancouver Cocktail Week will be held March 5 to 11, 2023, at venues across Vancouver. It will be a showcase of the city’s immense bartending talent, with events ranging from seminars, happy hours, and cocktail-paired dinners to the opening elevated brunch at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and closing gala at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Vancouver Cocktail Week is also proud to partner with Diageo World Class Canada and to support the BC Hospitality Foundation.

Click here for more information.

Benefit Highlight: VI Banking ATM

Since 2015, ABLE BC has been pleased to partner with VI Banking ATM as the Alliance's preferred ATM supplier.

ABLE BC is committed to bringing the best services, products, and providers to our membership. This commitment was a driving force in negotiating this ATM agreement, exclusively designed for ABLE BC Members.

Features of VI Banking ATM agreements include:

  • All ATMs are 2019 models

  • All agreements are day-to-day. You are never stuck in long-term agreements with auto-rollovers or right-of-first refusals

  • No cancellation fees or charges. Just provide 48 hours notice and your ATM will be removed at no cost

  • No installation, maintenance, or upgrade fees or charges 

  • Complimentary ATM paper

  • No deposit or processing fees

  • Optional cash loading services

  • VI Banking ATMs process all cards globally

  • Service is always within 24 hours 

  • Some conditions apply

Click here to learn more about VI Banking ATM for ABLE BC members.

For more information please contact: 

Celebrating our Industry

2023 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards nominations are now open! 

The Awards are presented by BCHA and TIABC to recognize and celebrate the excellence, leadership, and innovation in British Columbia’s tourism & hospitality industry. They exemplify a standard of excellence for operators and employees in the industry, showcasing the province’s best products, services, experiences, and people. 

Know any exceptional industry members that deserve recognition? Submit a nomination by midnight December 22, 2022, for one of the following categories:

  • Indigenous Operator or Experience

  • Sustainability

  • Employees First

  • Business Woman of the Year

  • Innovation

  • Community Contribution & Impact

  • Professional Excellence

  • Access and Inclusion

  • Remarkable Experience

Click here to learn more. 

We want to celebrate you! Is your business hosting a special event or fundraiser? Are you celebrating an anniversary or important milestone? Has someone on your team been promoted or completed a certification? Have you opened a new or renovated location?

Let us know about your special moments, your amazing teams, and the things you’re most proud of. We’ll share your achievements in our newsletter or our social channels. 

Contact Ann Brydle, Manager of Membership and Communication, at ann@ablebc.ca or 604-688-5560.

Out and About with ABLE BC!

While December is the busiest month of the year for most of our members, the ABLE BC office tends to be a bit quieter. We take this time to plan for the new year and make sure we’re set up to hit the ground running in January! As a reminder, our office will be closed from December 23-January 9. We will be taking some time to relax and enjoy the holidays, but will be sure to keep you informed of any events that may impact your business or industry.

From all of us at ABLE BC, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Ann Brydle