Philadelphia Medicine Winter-Spring 2021 - 15

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In Cumberland, Berks or Lancaster County, a typical liquor
license goes for $400,000 to $500,000. In Philadelphia, it's closer
to the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
" If you go to Bradford County or rural counties, like in Luzerne,
they sold one for $60,000, " Moran said.
According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, the PLCB does not know or track the prices of liquor licenses.
" According to our licensing staff, what we have heard from licensees is how difficult it is to keep the doors open and operate with
restrictions - it's costly to keep employees, it's difficult to operate
with a limited capacity and there are some items licensees cannot
sell, such as spirits to go, " said Shawn M. Kelly, PLCB press secretary.
" Also, we have heard from some applicants that were in the
licensing pipeline before the March 2020 restrictions and from some
of those who filed after that, that some financial institutions are
hesitant to continue to loan money to businesses in the hospitality
industry, " Kelly said.

have a meal. They're the type of bar, you have a drink, catch up with
your friends and walk home. And they don't have outdoor seating.
They've been the ones struggling the most. "

On 'financial cliff'
" We're starting to see pockets throughout the state, they are on that
financial cliff, they are trying not to go over it, so they are bending
the rules, so to speak, " Moran said. " And there's a public out there
that's supporting them, too. "
Moran recently spoke to a tavern owner in Western Pennsylvania
who can't hold on any longer. The member wants to follow the rules
and hold on as long as possible, Moran said.
The grant program could be an answer.
" It will get them some money from the state that would help her
and keep her head above the water longer, " he said.
When will the mitigation orders from the governor cease?

Some of the questions the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and
Tavern Association tries to answer are related to when the COVID-19
mitigation orders will end.

" I hate to speculate, " Moran said. " Obviously it's going to be tied
into the distribution of the vaccines. Even at that point there would
be some kind of new normal.

" For example, they can't seat anybody at a bar, " Moran said. " Even
if they are 6 feet apart and have partitions between each bar seat,
they are not allowed. That is a tough pill to swallow for even the
smallest places. When you walk in, there are few tables and there is
no outdoor seating. I have some members in Philadelphia that are
in that situation: They're not the type of bar where you go in and

" Until they will determine if we are in a pandemic or not, will it
be treated year to year like a flu shot? " he said. " It's hard to pinpoint
when we would be back to normal. Certainly as the distribution
continues and we get closer to herd immunity, I would think that
you would see mitigation orders slowly lifted and hopefully more
people being allowed to be seated indoors. " *

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Philadelphia Medicine Winter-Spring 2021

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