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Statewide liquor shortage has bars scrambling ahead of biggest night of the year

Posted at 10:16 PM, Nov 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-26 22:17:43-05

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.– If you think you read that headline wrong; you didn’t.

Right now, bars across the state of Michigan are struggling to get their hands on the good stuff. Just in time for the biggest drinking day of the year: the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

That’s because Republic National Distributing Company, one of the main liquor distributors in the state, moved warehouses. With many software issues, they’ve not been able to fill orders. RNDC distributes roughly sixty percent of the state’s liquor.

So far, more than 800 complaints have been filed with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Fratelli’s Kitchen and Bar knows that all too well.

Front of house manager Taylor Cassidy says running low on their precious Stoli Cucumber, Titos, Bullet Rye whiskey, Hennessy… and Crown.

“It’s been really difficult, really frustrating. We’ve been trying to place orders. They keep running out of stuff,” Taylor Cassidy said.

Fratelli’s makes a lot of craft cocktails, which means they need really specific liquors. Taylor says she feels bad for customers who come in and can’t get what they want, but there’s not much she can do about it.

“I can’t go to the grocery store and buy it,” Taylor said.

Taylor says come Wednesday, they could be running out of a lot of their liquor.

“’I’m a little bit nervous. We have some stock of stuff, but I’m genuinely concerned about running out of alcohol,” Taylor said.