2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 30 - Intoxicating Liquors › Chapter 545 - Liquor Control Act › Section 30-22d. - Connecticut craft cafe permit.

(a) For the purposes of this section:
(1) “Collaboration” has the same meaning as provided in subsection (b) of section 30-16; and
(2) “Craft cafe” means a space that (A) is located in a suitable and permanent building, (B) is kept, used, maintained, advertised and held out to the public to be a place where alcoholic liquor and food are served at retail for consumption on the premises, (C) at all times has employed therein an adequate number of employees, (D) does not include public sleeping accommodations, and (E) need not necessarily have a dining room or kitchen.
(b) A Connecticut craft cafe permit shall allow the retail sale of alcoholic liquor manufactured in this state to be consumed on the premises of such craft cafe. If the holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit also holds a manufacturer permit for beer issued under subsection (b) of section 30-16, such holder may sell, at retail for consumption on the permit premises, any brand of beer that such holder manufactured in collaboration with at least one other holder of such a manufacturer permit, provided not more than one such brand of beer may be sold from the permit premises at any time. The holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit shall also hold a manufacturer permit issued under section 30-16, and shall keep food available during the majority of the hours such permit premises are open under this subsection for sale to, and consumption by, customers on such permit premises. The availability of food from outside vendors located on or near the permit premises, delivered either directly by such outside vendors or indirectly through a third party, is sufficient to satisfy such requirement. The permit premises shall at all times comply with all regulations of the local department of health. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that any food be sold or purchased with any alcoholic liquor, and no rule, regulation or standard shall be promulgated or enforced to require that sales of food be substantial or that the business's receipts from sales of alcoholic liquor equal any set percentage of total receipts from all sales made on the permit premises. A Connecticut craft cafe permit shall allow, with the Department of Consumer Protection's prior approval and if allowed under fire, zoning and health regulations, alcoholic liquor to be served at tables in outside areas that are screened or not screened from public view. If fire, zoning or health regulations do not require that such areas be enclosed by a fence or wall, the department shall not require that such areas be so enclosed. No such fence or wall shall be less than thirty inches high. A Connecticut craft cafe permit shall also authorize the sale, at retail from the permit premises for consumption off the permit premises, of sealed containers supplied by the permittee of draught beer, including, but not limited to, beer manufactured in collaboration with at least one other holder of a manufacturer permit for beer issued under subsection (b) of section 30-16, provided not more than one collaboratively manufactured brand of beer may be sold from the permit premises at any time. Such sales shall be conducted only during the hours that the holder of a manufacturer permit for beer issued under subsection (b) of section 30-16 is permitted to sell alcoholic liquor under the provisions of subsection (d) of section 30-91. Not more than nine gallons of such beer shall be sold to any person on any day on which the sale of alcoholic liquor is authorized under the provisions of subsection (a) of section 30-91. The annual fee for each Connecticut craft cafe permit shall be three hundred dollars.
(c) The holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit may purchase, for resale on such permit holder's premises, alcoholic liquor from the holder of a manufacturer permit for: (1) Spirits issued under subsection (a) of section 30-16; (2) beer issued under subsection (b) of section 30-16; (3) a farm winery issued under subsection (c) of section 30-16; or (4) wine, cider and mead issued under subsection (d) of section 30-16. The holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit shall not purchase the same type of alcoholic liquor such permit holder manufactures from any holder of a manufacturer permit specified in subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection, except any holder of a Connecticut craft cafe permit that also holds the manufacturer permit specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection may purchase from another holder of such a manufacturer permit beer that the Connecticut craft cafe permit holder manufactured in collaboration with another holder of such a manufacturer permit. The sale of such alcoholic liquor shall not comprise more than twenty per cent of the Connecticut craft cafe permit holder's gross annual sales of all alcoholic liquor sold for on-premises consumption.
(P.A. 19-24, S. 18; P.A. 22-56, S. 7; 22-104, S. 25.)
History: P.A. 19-24 effective July 1, 2020; P.A. 22-56 redesignated former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (a) and amended same by defining “collaboration” and redefining “craft cafe”, redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b) and amended same by adding provisions re collaboratively manufactured beer, amended Subsec. (c) by adding provisions re collaboratively manufactured beer, and made technical and conforming changes, effective May 23, 2022; P.A. 22-104 redesignated former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (a) and amended same by redefining “craft cafe”, redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b) and amended same by adding provisions requiring that holder of Connecticut craft cafe permit also hold manufacturer permit issued under Sec. 30-16 and providing that food may be made available directly through outside vendor or indirectly through third party, and made technical and conforming changes, effective May 24, 2022).