Grocery stores can now sell single-serve alcohol at bar/grills inside after the KC City Council passed a new ordinance on Thursday.
Debate started weeks ago at the request of the Hy-Vee located at Englewood and Oak Trafficway. The company has some 92 market grill locations inside stores in the Midwest. It hopes to add more than a dozen in the Kansas City area, but not everyone is on board.
Ghazi Alabbaz who lives nearby said, "There's kids and families inside and people don't like to have these things inside there."
Any store serving alcohol has to be at least 15,000 square feet and drinks cannot leave the restaurant area.
"Well that server last night was very happy about that. She was losing customers," David Wagner said. "People came in expecting half-price wine and it wasn't there."
Quite a few people don't mind the new addition coming to the store.
"It's sure convenient if you need to get shopping done and also grab a bite to eat. Just convenience factor, so I like it," Wagner added.
Hy-Vee said it will take 10 days for the market grill to begin selling beer and wine.
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Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
