Walmart submitted the top bid for a restaurant liquor license earlier this year for a store in South Union Township in southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s the first liquor license in PA for Walmart, assuming the company files the required application and is awarded the license.
“We want Walmart customers in Fayette County to save money so they can live better,” said a Walmart spokesperson, predictably.
According to Shawn Kelly from the Liquor Control Board, if Walmart is granted approval for the license, they will have to turn a portion of their store into a cafe that measures at least 400 square feet and has at least 30 chairs. Walmart would also be limited to selling 192 ounces of beer (approximately two six-packs) per transaction for off-premises consumption.
It is expected that Walmart will apply for a permit to sell up to three liters of wine per retail transaction.
Walmart isn’t the first big box store in Pennsylvania to acquire a liquor license. A Target store in Plymouth Township (Montgomery County) has had a restaurant liquor license since last November. Several supermarkets and convenience stores – as well as movie theaters – already own liquor licenses in the state.