Asheville bars struggle to find certain brands as liquor shortage hits WNC
By BRIANNA OWCZARZAK, STEPHEN BOROWY
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Anjali Patel (WLOS) — A statewide liquor shortage is being felt in the mountains as bars try to rebound from the pandemic.
Imperial in downtown Asheville was closed for more than a year because of COVID-19. While the virus no longer restricts the bar’s hours or capacity, bar manager Matthew Rentz said business is still far from normal.
“I actually put in my liquor order earlier today before you came by, and half the stuff that I tried to order, I just couldn’t get in,” Rentz said.
He said a shortage of some higher-end liquor brands has forced him to change his cocktail menu several times this summer. He said the shortage also means disappointing some guests.
“We had a few guests actually order shots of tequila, shots of mezcal and then they get maybe one or two shots and we’re like, ‘Sorry guys, we’re done. You had the last shots,'” Rentz said. “It’s a bad situation to be in. It’s a bad situation for my bartenders, for my staff to be in. If I’m not here and I get a text message or a call some time at night, like, ‘Hey, we ran out of this. Do we have any more?’ Most of the time it’s just, ‘Yeah we’re just out. Tell the guests we’re very sorry about that.'”
Rentz said this isn’t just a hit to customers, but his bartenders, too. Not being able to serve some of their top-shelf drinks means leaner checks for customers and leaner tips.
“It impacts their check. It impacts the guest experience. It impacts their overall tip-out. It impacts a lot of things,” he said.
Rentz believes the pandemic is playing a big role, because it’s led to worker shortages that have strained various supply chains. He said it doesn’t help that North Carolina bars can only get their liquor supply through one source — the local Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC Board.
Mark Combs, the general manager of the Asheville ABC Board, sent News13 the following statement:
We are indeed challenged in getting certain brands and quantities our customers buy; however, we currently have sufficient supplies of the most ubiquitous brands to meet customer demand. We have been proactive to stock up due to supply and delivery fluctuations over the past year. I emphasize that while we may be short of a certain brand, there are substitute brands to choose from while we work to re-supply what customers want.” Rentz said perhaps the small silver lining of this situation is that it’s forced him to become more resourceful, but it’s still a tough situation for Asheville bars that are just trying to make up for lost time.
“It really impacts Asheville, and it really impacts the quality of what you can serve your guests and what you can serve even tourists visiting Asheville. It doesn’t put a bad taste in their mouth, but it makes it seem like we don’t have our stuff together,” Rentz said. “It gives a bad image to us all around.”
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