Health and Liquor Licenses Pulled after Maine Restaurant Defies State Lockdown Orders

by
Steve MacDonald

Hundreds of people lined up outside Sunday River Brewing Co on Friday. They were there to enjoy a sit down meal and support owner Rick Savage for defying Maine’s lockdown order. But the State of Maine was not happy, so it pulled his operating licenses.

Related:  Stories of the NH Shutdown’s Unintended Consequences

BETHEL, Maine — The co-owner of Sunday River Brewing Co. in Bethel who defied state orders by opening his doors to diners on Friday afternoon has lost his state health and liquor licenses, he said.

Restaurants must obtain state health licenses to legally serve food.

But there was plenty of support for the idea from the people.

Although the restaurant initially said it would open at 4 p.m., it started serving food after people showed up around noon in defiance of a March order from Gov. Janet Mills that barred dine-in restaurant service.

By 4:30 p.m., the crowd of diners lined up around the building on Route 2 had grown to a peak of around 150. By 6 p.m., the restaurant had served roughly 250 people, according to an employee.

The Democrats must be smiling—another victory for Team Tyranny. 

I wonder if New Hampshire would use the same trick or at least the threat of it? And what if a restaurant association of some sort coalesced to do a mass reopening following basic CDC guidelines but not the restriction on indoor seating?

Would Sununu and company have the guts to pull all their licenses? Especially if crowds flocked to take advantage?

| Bangor Daily News

Image: Screengrab from video report at Bangor Daily News

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, blogger, and a member of the Board of directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor of GraniteGrok.com, a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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