Brunch Bill
The next time you enjoy a bloody mary with your 10 a.m. Sunday brunch, consider raising your glass to Metzger, one of the driving forces behind the passage of SB 155. Known as the “Brunch Bill” for its provision allowing North Carolina restaurants to serve alcoholic beverages before noon, SB 155 also enabled craft distilleries to increase the number of bottles of their wares they could sell directly to consumers fivefold and loosened restrictions on direct-to-consumer alcohol sales at craft breweries.
Metzger worked on the passage of the Brunch Bill from the very start, drawing on her rich network of contacts in the craft brewing and distilling industries as well as those promoting North Carolina tourism. Recognizing the abundance of opportunities missed for tourists to enjoy the fruits of the booming craft beer, wine and spirit industries with restrictions on direct sales and a lunchtime start to serving alcohol when many travelers would already be en route home on a Sunday, Metzger outlined the issues in a way that garnered the support of a strong coalition. She worked alongside legislators and those in the hospitality and craft beverage industries to frame and clearly communicate issues, while her in-depth knowledge of alcohol laws and policies enabled her to outline a concise set of solutions to the problems at hand.
Once the outline of the Brunch Bill was determined among stakeholders and legislative sponsors on board, Metzger’s efforts to publicize the effort, building public awareness and support included a comprehensive website featuring an overview of issues and providing talking points for the bill’s advocates, a social media campaign designed to build awareness and support, and interviews with local media to provide context for the general public. Metzger’s unique background with insider experience in North Carolina’s tourism, craft beverage, and hospitality industries made her organizing around the issues tackled in the Brunch Bill a natural extension of her advocacy for these booming industries, and the successful passage of the bill is a testament to her ability to clearly communicate a path forward, painting a clear picture of both problem and solution, for all involved.