Sup. Sherrill Wants to Make It Easier for Movie Theaters to Serve Booze

"It seems that San Francisco City Hall's solution to our post-COVID economic doldrums is to just add alcohol to everything. From boozy night markets and entertainment zones to to-go cocktails and lots of new liquor licenses, we seem to have a pretty one-dimensional strategy to get people out to venues and events. And that's to make it easier for people to buy alcohol there."

"The latest proposal on the booze bandwagon came at Tuesday afternoon's SF Board of Supervisors meeting, when District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill proposed new rules that would make it much easier for movie theaters to start selling beer and wine at their concessions counters. Movie theaters have been threatened by shifting streaming habits, the pandemic, and more, Sherrill said Tuesday when introducing his legislation. The theaters who've been hit hardest by these tough economic conditions are the small, single-screen historic theaters."

"The way things are now, the SF Planning code requires a mandatory revenue test for serving alcohol, a revenue test that sees movie theaters the exact same way it sees traditional restaurants. Sherrill says that criteria is unrealistic for movie theaters. Regardless how much we charge for extra butter, no amount of popcorn is going to make 51% of their revenue, he said Tuesday."

San Francisco officials are expanding alcohol-friendly policies across venues, including night markets, entertainment zones, and to-go cocktails, to spur post-COVID economic recovery. A proposal by District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill would amend the movie theater definition so theaters can sell beer and wine at concession counters without meeting the existing 51% on-site food-sales revenue threshold. Small, single-screen historic theaters have suffered from streaming shifts and the pandemic and are primary targets for relief. The change aims to improve theaters' bottom lines and long-term sustainability by removing an unrealistic revenue test tied to traditional restaurant models.

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