House Bill No. introduced by L. Deming aims to revise the regulations surrounding restaurant beer and wine licenses in Montana. Key changes include increasing the required ratio of gross income from food sales from 65% to 70% for restaurants seeking a beer and wine license. Additionally, the bill allows licensees to determine their own hours of operation, provided they notify the Department of any changes. The bill also stipulates that beer and wine can be sold for off-premises consumption, but the purchase price of the alcohol must not exceed that of the food ordered, and these sales will count towards the 70% food sales requirement.

Further amendments include the removal of specific restrictions on serving hours, allowing restaurants to serve beer and wine for 12 consecutive hours between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., subject to local ordinances. The bill also clarifies that a restaurant may not imply that patrons can purchase or consume alcohol without ordering food. These revisions aim to provide more flexibility for restaurant operations while ensuring compliance with the established food-to-alcohol sales ratio.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 16-4-420, 16-4-422, 16-4-423
HB0315_1(1): 16-4-420, 16-4-422, 16-4-423
HB0315_1(2): 16-4-420, 16-4-422, 16-4-423
HB0315_1(3): 16-4-420, 16-4-422, 16-4-423
HB0315_1: 16-4-420, 16-4-422, 16-4-423