March 2004
By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO RI Hospitality and Tourism Association
How many times have you gone to a restaurant, ordered a great bottle of wine and forced yourself to finish it because you did not want to waste it? I think we’ve all found ourselves in this predicament. Clearly, forcing yourself to consume and finish more wine than you’d like before getting in a car and driving home has the potential to be devastating. This year we can make a difference, affect change in the legislature, and improve overall safety in our state.
This legislative session, the Rhode Island Hospitality & Tourism Association will submit legislation to change existing law and allow diners to take their unfinished bottle of wine home from a restaurant, allowing them the freedom to drink only as much as they’d like and save the rest for another time.
While there are existing strict open-container laws in effect, this proposed change in the law will not negate the law in this area. Instead, it will merely mirror law that stipulates that un-sealed alcoholic beverages are not permissible in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
Currently, New Hampshire law allows restaurant diners who have purchased a full meal to take their opened bottle of wine home as long as it is securely sealed, bagged and transported in the trunk of the vehicle. In cases involving SUVs or pick-up trucks without trunks, the wine must be placed in an area that is not easily accessible to the driver. This is smart and progressive thinking on behalf of the New Hampshire legislature and represents a win-win for the public and the hospitality industry.
RIHTA will propose strict guidelines around which type of restaurants will be permissible. As is the case in New Hampshire, we will support this law in full-service restaurants only.
Our industry embraces choice. We want to provide a responsible option for restaurant diners. The option to stop drinking when they’ve had enough. The option to take that expensive bottle of wine home for another day.
About the Rhode Island and Tourism Association:
With more than 500 foodservice and hospitality members in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association has been the voice of the hospitality and tourism industry in the state for 19 years. For more information regarding the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association, please visit www.rihospitality.org.
By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO RI Hospitality and Tourism Association
How many times have you gone to a restaurant, ordered a great bottle of wine and forced yourself to finish it because you did not want to waste it? I think we’ve all found ourselves in this predicament. Clearly, forcing yourself to consume and finish more wine than you’d like before getting in a car and driving home has the potential to be devastating. This year we can make a difference, affect change in the legislature, and improve overall safety in our state.
This legislative session, the Rhode Island Hospitality & Tourism Association will submit legislation to change existing law and allow diners to take their unfinished bottle of wine home from a restaurant, allowing them the freedom to drink only as much as they’d like and save the rest for another time.
While there are existing strict open-container laws in effect, this proposed change in the law will not negate the law in this area. Instead, it will merely mirror law that stipulates that un-sealed alcoholic beverages are not permissible in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
Currently, New Hampshire law allows restaurant diners who have purchased a full meal to take their opened bottle of wine home as long as it is securely sealed, bagged and transported in the trunk of the vehicle. In cases involving SUVs or pick-up trucks without trunks, the wine must be placed in an area that is not easily accessible to the driver. This is smart and progressive thinking on behalf of the New Hampshire legislature and represents a win-win for the public and the hospitality industry.
RIHTA will propose strict guidelines around which type of restaurants will be permissible. As is the case in New Hampshire, we will support this law in full-service restaurants only.
Our industry embraces choice. We want to provide a responsible option for restaurant diners. The option to stop drinking when they’ve had enough. The option to take that expensive bottle of wine home for another day.
About the Rhode Island and Tourism Association:
With more than 500 foodservice and hospitality members in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association has been the voice of the hospitality and tourism industry in the state for 19 years. For more information regarding the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association, please visit www.rihospitality.org.
