Pennsylvania governor proposes waiving liquor license fees

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf proposed waiving liquor license fees for more than 16,000 bars, clubs and restaurants in the state starting next year.

The plan is projected to provide $20 million in relief for establishments that have struggled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“My administration continues to look for innovative ways that we can support the bar and restaurant industry," Wolf said Thursday. "Eliminating liquor license fees is an important step toward helping bars and restaurants retain the capital they need to weather the storm of COVID-19.”

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Wolf has imposed occupancy limits on bars and restaurants, as well as other restrictions meant to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. But those have also caused businesses to suffer.

The Democratic governor vetoed a GOP bill last week that would have loosened restrictions on the hospitality industry. Republicans didn't have enough votes to override the veto.

The slashing of a burdensome regulation was welcomed by many, but some restaurant owners said it isn't enough.

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“If that’s going to be your lifeline, then you were probably going out of business,” Matt Turbiner, owner of Shady Grove restaurant in Pittsburgh, told Trib Live. “It’s not enough to save the restaurant industry.”

"While our industry desperately needs support, these olive branches will not sustain businesses that are still reeling from closures, shrinking revenue, and well-intended but ineffective mitigation efforts unnecessarily targeting restaurant operators," Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging CEO John Longstreet said in a statement Thursday.

The hospitality industries in Pennsylvania and other states are facing a crisis as winter approaches. Outdoor dining was a lifeline that kept some businesses afloat during the warmer months, but many restaurant owners are wondering what they will do when they can't host customers indoors and it's too cold to eat outside.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.