Greenville sports bar goes alcohol-free due to liquor liability law

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Liquor liability laws have affected several Upstate bars including Local Cue, whose owners said they stopped selling beer, wine and alcohol as of Thursday.

“We won best sports bar in the Upstate voted by the viewers this last year, so two weeks ago, and then two weeks later we’re no longer a bar, and that’s scary,” said Leah Vaughan, owner of Local Cue.

Vaughan has been owner of Local Cue for 10 years.

Bar owners like Vaughan were faced with the state law requirement to carry a minimum $1 million insurance policy if they serve alcohol after 5 p.m.

Vaughan said her insurance rate increased by 458%.

“I cried and I panicked because I didn’t know how to make it work. It comes out to be around $1,000 a day for me to be able to serve alcohol and that’s just not affordable and it’s not sustainable if I want to keep my staff employed and keep serving the public,” said Vaughan.

Board members from the South Carolina Bar and Tavern Association said the state law requirement impacts more than just the bar.

“You lose a lot of people employed like musicians. We have musicians at our place all the time. If we close, that’s three nights to four nights to four days a week that those people aren’t going to have a place to go,” said Eddie Martin, board member with the South Carolina Bar and Tavern Association.

Vaughan said she understands both sides but was hoping for a middle ground.

“It wasn’t until the loophole within the law was found that it started getting exploited. That’s what’s caused this problem. We just need to close those loopholes. We need them to allow some personal responsibility, and I don’t think it’s fair that I have to be responsible for people 12 hours after they leave my building,” said Vaughan.

“We’re trying to get on the ground and let everybody know that they need to contact their state senators, their state representatives, they need to contact the governor’s office so that we may have some relief in this issue,” said Martin.

The SC Bar and Tavern Association said at least six businesses in Greenville alone have closed within a span of two months.

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