PLCB

Del Frisco’s Bought Over $1 Million In Wine and Booze Last Year

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on May 14th, 2013

del-friscos-philadelphia

We were impressed back in October 2012 when we learned that Center City red meat emporium Del Frisco’s had purchased nearly $900,000 worth of wine and spirits through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board the year prior. But in our most recent report, Del Frisco’s (and two other spots) break the $1 million mark.

More Statistics »

University City Will Get a New Liquor Store

Posted by Foobooz on April 26th, 2013

Check out the week’s most interesting posts on Philadelphia magazine’s real estate blog, Property. University City has been without a liquor store since the Wine & Spirits shop closed on Market Street at 40th Street. But now comes word that a new state store will open in a mixed-use building spanning 43rd Street from Sansom to Chestnut.

Follow Property on Facebook and Twitter.

Pros and Cons of Latest Liquor Privatization Bill

Posted by Foobooz on February 6th, 2013

Harrisburg State Capital Dome

Dan McQuade reviews Governor Tom Corbett’s latest proposal to privatize the Pennsylvania liquor system.

The Good:

Beer can be sold at grocery and drug stores.
Beer distributors could buy a license to sell wine and liquor.
The state stores go away
Selection should improve

The Bad:

It creates six new categories of licenses
It continues pointless limits on alcohol purchases at one time
It does little to address the negative effects of alcohol

Read the rest of McQuade’s column on the Philly Post. For another look at the privatization effort, check out Lew Bryson’s Why the PLCB Should Be Abolished.

Pros and Cons of of Governor Corbett’s LCB Privatization Plan [Philly Post]

This Weekend: Beware the Liquor Police

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on November 16th, 2012

Subsequent to yesterday’s story on Union Trust closing its doors, probably, in part, because they can’t legally serve booze, we’ve learned about quite a few bars and restaurants whose liquor licenses are, like Union Trust’s, listed as “inactive” with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Read the rest of this entry »

Without a Liquor License, Union Trust Closes

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on November 15th, 2012

It has been twenty months since the $12 million Union Trust declared bankruptcy, with owner Joe Grasso telling me on more than one occasion since that business at the steakhouse is good. But today, as the case continues to wind its way through bankruptcy court, the doors are closed. Read the rest of this entry »

Top Liquor Purchasers for 2011

Posted by Foobooz on October 2nd, 2012

Here’s the 2011 liquor purchasers in Philadelphia for 2011. This factors out wine purchases from the state. All that tequila really runs up the bill at El Vez. Note, this isn’t what the bars sold the alcohol for, but rather how much they purchased it for from the PLCB.

Rank	Business	Total Spirits Money Spent
1	Delilah's Den	$356,962
2	El Vez	$356,410
3	Woody's	$319,682
4	Whisper	$282,421
5	Continental Midtown	$272,829

Want to play around with the full list of 200 top wine and spirits purchasers in Philadelphia for 2011? Check out our sortable chart of the Top 200 PLCB Licensees for Philadelphia in 2011.

Top 200 2011 Philadelphia LCB Licensees [f8b8z]

Iron Hill Mug Club Faces Crackdown

Posted by Foobooz on July 2nd, 2012

There is a secret club that has been operating outside the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for more than ten years. But thankfully state agencies have finally cracked down to rid us of these outlaws. Yes, the state of Pennsylvania has laid down the law against the scourge that is the Iron Hill Mug Club. We know what you’re thinking, “good, a brew pub chain should not encourage or reward customers that rob other citizens.” But you’d be mistaken, the Iron Hill Mug Club is a loyalty program that offered redeemable points for purchase of beer, food and merchandise, plus an extra eight ounces per beer for members. Now it has been decided the club’s incentives run afoul of state laws and have to be changed.

Check out the letter to Mug Club members from Iron Hill president Kevin Finn.

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Inspector General Takes Aim at PLCB

Posted by Foobooz on June 19th, 2012

In a pair of unflattering reports regarding the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the state Inspector General finds that LCB employees have lax work habits and top officials accept gifts. In the first report, the LCB’s seven administrative law judges are accused of often showing up late, leaving early, taking long lunches and sometimes not reporting their vacations.

The second report details accusations that top officials including the current and previous CEOs of the Board accepted gifts of alcohol, tickets to sporting events and golf rounds from liquor vendors. The report goes on to describe how Conti dangled a wine boutique similar to Jose Garces’ in the same email he requests a job for his daughter.

Meanwhile Pennsylvania’s push to privatize liquor sales have just about ground to a halt.

LCB judges’ work habits faulted [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Top LCB officials said to take gifts, favors from vendors [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Privatization last call? Nah [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Quick Bites: West Philly Closures, One More Food Truck

Posted by Foobooz on January 26th, 2012

The closest liquor store to Penn and Drexel’s campus at 41st and Market is closed. Who would have guessed we’d miss that wine kiosk in the Fresh Grocer. [Phoodie]

Takeout chicken spot Roost has closed shop. The fried chicken spot hopes to return with in a new location that will also allow for seating. [Meal Ticket]

ThaiBQ will be a Thai barbecue serving truck. It’s still in the early stages but they’re aiming for an April 21st debut at St. Joseph’s Taste of Hawk Hill. [Meal Ticket]

PLCB Privatization Gutted

Posted by Foobooz on December 13th, 2011

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pennsylvania plan to eliminate the PLCB has failed and has been replaced by a plan to let beer distributors sell wine.

The House Liquor Control Committee, controlled by Republicans, today scrapped Republican Turzai’s wide-ranging but controversial bill and instead passed a radically different bill that would let the state’s 1,200 beer distributors sell wine to the public while the liquor stores continue.

The “gut and replace” amendment, as it is called, was proposed by Rep. John Taylor, R-Philadelphia, who said he couldn’t support Mr. Turzai’s plan to eliminate the LCB’s 620 stores and lay off its 3,800 unionized workers.

Ammended bill: Keep state stores, sell wine at beer distributors [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

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