Wanna See More Liquor in New Jersey? A New Bill Could Make it Happen.

The bill would make it easier for restaurants to get liquor licenses.

If you've wanted more NJ restaurants to serve alcohol, a new bill could make that happen.

According to New Jersey Monitor, our state's liquor license laws are outdated - like the prohibition era outdated.  The article says liquor licenses are limited to one license per 3,000 residents.

Let's do this math to find out how many liquor licenses are available in Toms River.  According to the Census, Toms River has 97,304 residents.  Divide that by 3,000, it only allows about 32 liquor licenses in the town.  I'm not sure how many restaurants there are in Toms River, but I'm willing to bet there are more than 32.

Liquor licenses have been a hot topic in town.  In fact, a couple of months ago, we shared that the new Texas Roadhouse is hoping to serve liquor once it opens on Hooper Ave.

As I mentioned prior, the new bill being proposed hopes to increase the number of liquor licenses in New Jersey.  Per New Jersey Monitor, this isn't Governor Murphy's first attempt at passing this bill.  Originally, it would've increased the number of liquor licenses over six years.

Now, it's been amended to change the liquor license laws in three sections.  I am obviously not a legislator, so I'll explain what New Jersey Monitor has to say in the best way I can.

First, breweries would be allowed to hold more events and serve food.  I love the sound of this - there's nothing more delicious than an ice-cold beer on a summer day, paired with a salty soft pretzel.

After this, smaller towns would be offered more liquor licenses, and the last part of the bill would allow licenses to be transferred to other towns within the same county.

All of the above seems like a great way to boost the economy!  Some people, however, think it will decrease the value of liquor licenses.  Others worry about more DWI-related incidents happening because of more access to alcohol.

Do you have any reservations about this bill being passed?