Atlanta Must Wait at Least One More Weekend for Sunday Morning Cocktails

City of Atlanta residents will need to wait at least one more weekend for Sunday morning cocktails at 11 a.m. Eater Atlanta reported earlier this week, the “brunch bill” — passed on November 6 — would go into effect in Atlanta Sunday, November 11. The date was confirmed by a city official. However, just how the law is implemented lead to some confusion among officials, who now say the election results must first be certified in Fulton and Dekalb counties and then signed by mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The vote is expected to be certified Tuesday, November 13. Once certified and signed by the mayor, an implementation date is chosen.

Some metro Atlanta municipalities must have foreseen the confusion over the law’s implementation coming, and included the start date in their original referendum language. According to the Georgia Restaurant Association, this includes Canton and Decatur, where the law apparently takes effect Sunday, November 11, and Alpharetta, where it takes effect Sunday, December 2.

The forward-thinking city of Alpharetta provided local media with a rather cheeky letter on the Sunday morning booze date matter:
Alpharetta voters went to the polls this week and overwhelmingly approved a measure to change the time when restaurants can legally serve alcoholic beverages on Sundays to 11:00 AM. So, with the so-called “brunch bill” given the green light by voters, when will local restaurants be able to serve patrons their Sunday morning Mimosa?

“Alpharetta was proactive and adopted a change to the ordinance that was contingent upon voters approving the ballot measure, so all that remains is for City Council to approve a resolution certifying the election results,” said Alpharetta’s City Clerk, Coty Thigpen. “We have to wait for the Fulton County Board of Elections to certify the election results on November 13, so City Council is scheduled to take up their resolution on November 26.”

That means beginning at 11:00 AM on Sunday, December 2, Alpharettans will be able to toast their eggs benedict over a nicely chilled Mimosa at local restaurants.

Indeed.

Over 45 metro Atlanta cities and counties voted in favor of the Sunday “brunch bill”. The new law allows for the sale of alcohol at restaurants and bars to begin at 11 a.m. on Sundays. It’s now up to local officials in each community to determine the day the law goes into effect. Sadly, this still includes the city of Atlanta.

Eater Atlanta will continue to follow the implementation dates for metro Atlanta.

• Atlantans Say ‘Yes’ to Sunday Morning Mimosas and Bloody Marys [EATL]
• The Metro Atlanta Cities and Counties Voting on the “Mimosa Mandate” Tuesday [EATL]
• Atlantans Will Finally Vote on the ‘Mimosa Mandate’ in November [EATL]