LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new Nevada law allowing restaurants to deliver cocktails went into effect this month, but customers still can't order drinks to-go while local municipalities work to create their own regulations.
The legislation permits qualified bars and restaurants statewide to sell and deliver sealed cocktails to customers. However, each city and county still gets to decide whether or not they would like to establish its own ordinances before businesses can begin offering the service.
VIDEO: Jhovani Carrillo speaks to the senior government affairs manager for the Nevada Restaurant Association about cocktail delivery in the valley
"As we all know, it's been like really tough times for everyone, so having this extra revenue for the restaurant is just huge, and we are so happy," said Regina Simmons, co-owner of Tacotarian.
VIDEO: Jhovani Carrillo talks to the co-owner of Tacotarian about Nevada businesses being able to deliver sealed alcoholic beverages
Peter Saba, senior government affairs manager for the Nevada Restaurant Association, said the delay is frustrating restaurant owners who have been eager to implement cocktail delivery.
"Tariffs, inflation, drop in tourism have been hurting our restaurants. We expect from what we see from data from the 30 other states that have implemented this program-- those restaurants there have been able to boost their revenue 10-15%," Saba said. "They [restaurants] are very frustrated that it's still not in effect because they've been wanting to do this for quite some time," he said.
I reached out to area municipalities to ask about their plans for implementing local ordinances.
The City of North Las Vegas said, "There have been some internal discussions about this new law, but no timeline has been set for when it may be heard at a City Council meeting."
The City of Henderson said, "With the recent passing of AB 375, the City of Henderson is evaluating what this code change would look like for our liquor code and has not been placed on any upcoming council agenda."
Clark County said the legislation is permissive, and the Board has yet to publicly discuss next steps.
A City of Las Vegas spokesperson said, "The next City Council meeting is Oct. 15, and the agenda will be out Oct. 8, so we can certainly look to see if anything is on there. I have not heard of anything on this moving forward."
Saba said municipalities already have ordinances for liquor sales at grocery stores and would only need to change the wording to include food establishments.
Saba said county officials are still working with delivery companies to finalize a geo-fencing map that would block deliveries to casinos and resorts.
Each cocktail sale will include a 50-cent surcharge that goes toward DUI prevention and education programs. Metro Police report 31 people have died in DUI-related crashes so far this year, down from 54 in 2024.
Saba believes cocktail delivery could help reduce impaired driving.
"Drinking too much and going to the liquor store and picking up more, or you could just order it for delivery at your home, that's going to be saving a lot of lives," he said. "Not only is it going to decrease DUI with that, but with the 50-cent surcharge, it's $11 million a year that that will put to DUI prevention programs, more cops on the streets to look for that stuff, more money for training and rehab for prior offenders," Saba said.
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