Greenville bar closing, blames SC’s liquor liability laws
- SCCLR Newsletter
- Mar 8
- 3 min read
By: Seth Taylor
GREENVILLE — The People’s Tap, a popular downtown bar, is normally filled with patrons enjoying a glass of beer or wine, attending a book club or playing trivia.
But on Sunday it was filled with news cameras and local officials as the business’ owners announced it would temporarily close, citing issues obtaining insurance under the state’s new liquor liability laws.
“We did everything the policymakers asked us to do,” co-owner Julia Belcher said. “We trained our staff, we followed the law, we operated responsibly, and yet we are still facing the possibility of losing the business we built and the community space we care so deeply about.”
Belcher and co-owner Jennifer Lion hosted a press conference March 8 to explain the bar’s sudden closure. They stood alongside S.C. Bar and Tavern Association Executive Director Chris Smith, state Sen. Jason Elliott and 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who is running for Attorney General.
The assembled officials called for more reforms to the state’s liquor liability laws, which legislators have struggled to reform despite large-scale changes.
The People’s Tap opened in 2023, advertising its location at RiverPlace along the Swamp Rabbit Trail as a community-oriented space to feature local craft beers. In the mornings, The People’s Tap shares its space with Local Honey Coffee Co.
Belcher said the cost of insurance has been a problem since opening. In the past two years, their premiums more than doubled, eating up as much as 10 percent of their annual revenue.
Then, reforms to the state’s liquor liability laws took effect this year. Instead of relieving pressure, Belcher and Lion found out that their insurance policy no longer complied with state law. When they tried to find an alternative policy, they found few options, and none they could afford.
Elliott, a Greenville Republican who helped craft legislation to address problems with the liquor liability laws, said The People’s Tap is complying with the intent of the new law. But because of how the insurance requirements are written, it’s still being forced out of business.
“When a business like this is doing everything right, the government needs to say, ‘How can we help you operate?’ not ‘How can we shut you down?’” Elliott said.
South Carolina’s liquor liability laws govern who’s to blame and who pays lawsuit damages when someone drinking at a bar or restaurant is involved in an accident. The laws also establish insurance requirements, which can be costly.
The hospitality industry contends the state’s tough liability requirements and lenient DUI laws have caused insurance rates to skyrocket, pushing restaurants and bars across the state out of business. Some insurance companies have left the market altogether, meaning there are few companies left for local businesses to work with.
Last year, lawmakers haggled for months over reforms. The compromise they came to reduced insurance coverage requirements for some businesses and limited liability risks for others while also introducing new training requirements for servers. The new law went into effect Jan. 1.
Even at the time, some lawmakers said they didn’t believe the reforms would have much of an impact. And in the months since the law took effect, restaurant and bar owners told The Post and Courier the changes aren’t helping.
“They passed this bill last year … which was supposed to help businesses like this, the mom and pops,” Smith said. “And obviously we're standing here today because that has not occurred.”
