Kareem Hajjar: Margs For Life
With bars and restaurants being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the businesses in Texas that sell mixed drinks a.k.a. cocktails, are facing a major setback.
With the current law, they are not allowed to sell cocktails "to-go." Thus their already historical losses are even bigger than they would be otherwise.
But Kareem Hajjar, a restaurant lawyer from Austin, has decided to change this and help the spirits industry survive through the Margs For Life TX campaign.
In this interview, Kareem explains what he does, and how a temporary legal solution can help businesses in Texas stay solvent in these unprecedented times.
I'm all in for supporting this cause. And if you love restaurants and want to get your favourite drink from your favourite bartender, you too should support this campaign.
Because special times call for special rules.
Time Stamps:
01:15 - Who our guest is today and what he does.
05:53 - What Margs For Life TX is about and what it's not about.
10:18 - The rules before COVID-19 and their impact in this situation.
13:31 - The nitty-gritty of the prohibition to sell cocktails "to-go."
15:00 - Why this rule doesn't work, and how it affects the chain of suppliers, and the entire spirits industry.
21:15 - What Margs For Life TX is exactly trying to achieve, and what other states are doing. 24:50 - The permits for selling alcohol explained.
28:00 - What are other pushbacks that Kareem is experiencing in this campaign.
30:34 - Political lobbies against the permit to sell mixed drinks to go.
36:05 - The impact of the crisis on retail real estate industry.
39:45 - Why even after the restrictions are lifted, businesses will have a hard time going back to normal.
42:00 - What has been done so far in Margs For Life TX campaign.
44:20 - How people can support the campaign.
46:00 - Why Kareem is doing all of this voluntarily.
50:30 - Why landlords are supporting this cause.
53:10 - How this situation may unfold in the coming months.
58:27 - Examples of businesses who are pivoting in an amazing way during the lockdown.
Resources:
Margs For Life TX on Facebook
Margs For Life TX on Instagram
Hajjar Peters LLP
The Peached Tortilla
Texas Real Food