by Kristen Wile

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, or NCRLA, is an advocate for the state’s hospitality industry, working to ensure the food and beverage sector is represented from a policy perspective in Raleigh. The organization also provides resources to businesses across the state, including training and education as well as information on the state of the industry. After 13 years as NCRLA’s president and chief executive officer, Lynn Minges announced she would retire at the end of 2025. We asked Minges to share some of the challenges and changes she’s seen during her more than a decade as a champion for the hospitality industry, as well as some parting thoughts.

Unpretentious Palate: What is one policy change that you think has made the biggest impact on hospitality during your tenure? What was that impact?
Lynn Minges: When reflecting on the most impactful policy changes during my tenure, I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to modernize and improve the regulation and sale of alcohol in North Carolina.

• The Brunch Bill (2017): After years of advocacy and bipartisan collaboration, we successfully passed legislation allowing restaurants and retail outlets to serve alcohol on Sunday mornings — enhancing both business revenue and customer experience.
• Social Districts (2021): Common-sense legislation enabled local governments to establish Social Districts, revitalizing downtown areas and supporting businesses post-pandemic. Today, North Carolina boasts 55 registered Social Districts statewide.
• Cocktails To-Go (2024): North Carolina became the 29th state to permanently allow to-go cocktails, providing a crucial revenue stream for restaurants and bars.
• Expanded ABC Access (2024): Mixed beverage permittees can now purchase alcohol from any ABC store within their county, eliminating unnecessary restrictions and increasing operational flexibility.

I’m also especially proud of our industry’s resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five years ago, restaurants were forced to close dining rooms, sending thousands of employees home. We faced a very uncertain future. The sight of empty dining rooms and hotel lobbies, coupled with heartbreaking conversations with owners and operators, are moments I will never forget. 

Yet, amidst the adversity, the hospitality industry adapted. Restaurants pivoted overnight to takeout and delivery models, implemented new safety protocols, and made substantial investments to comply with health mandates — all while operating under severe financial constraints.

A turning point in our recovery was the launch of “Count on Me NC,” a statewide initiative that rebuilt public trust. Thousands of businesses, not just restaurants, committed to best practices, staff underwent specialized training, and customers were reassured that their safety was our top priority. This initiative became a national model for responsible industry reopening.

Perhaps our most significant achievement was securing a $500 million appropriation for the North Carolina Business Recovery Grant Program, directing financial relief to restaurants and hotels that had suffered losses of 20 percent or more. North Carolina was the only state to provide this level of targeted support, demonstrating the strength of our unified voice and the power of advocacy in action.

These policy changes and initiatives have fundamentally shaped the future of hospitality in North Carolina, ensuring the industry remains strong, innovative and adaptable.

UP: What is one policy change you wish you could have seen happen? 
LM: I would like to see a modernized, private licensure ABC model, with the state still controlling the permitting and location of retail establishments. This would simplify the process and have a tremendous positive impact on mixed beverage permittees across the state.

UP: ABC laws have been a constant battle for local bars and restaurants. Do you foresee the state ever shifting towards privatization? 
LM: I’m not sure the state of North Carolina will relinquish control of the state’s ABC system in my lifetime. Right now, the way the system is set up between the state and local boards, there is little financial incentive to make a change. 

Our state laws were put in place 80 years ago, after Prohibition, and we now have a complicated system controlled by 180 different local ABC boards. It needs streamlining.

North Carolina is one of 17 states in which all aspects of liquor are state controlled.

A 2019 state report noted that North Carolina collects more taxes per gallon of liquor sold than any Southern state and ranks fourth nationally. 

Liquor prices and ABC profit margins are unusually high, while liquor consumption per capita ranks among the lowest in the U.S.

UP: What progress have we seen in ABC laws and what do you think we’ll see over the next few years?
LM: North Carolina restaurants, hotels and bars face unnecessary and burdensome challenges regarding the purchase and sale of alcoholic beverages. We continue to advocate for improved modernization and business efficiencies that are needed to help support on-premise permit holders, including:

• Allow ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) to be delivered by wholesalers or distributors in a manner similar to how beer and wine are delivered to restaurants, bars and hotels. 
• Repeal a last-minute addition to the ABC Omnibus bill of 2023, changing the longstanding business practice of wholesalers cleaning beer tap lines. This change has a wide range of unintended consequences, including an enormous cost to retailers and potential public safety concerns as retailers struggle to find companies to clean the lines. 
• Investment in a modern ABC online portal to include:
  • A centralized liquor inventory management system, designed to establish transparency and control into available products across the state – and to improve the management and distribution of liquor to permittees. 
  • Allow on-premise permittees to purchase liquor directly through the centralized ordering system rather than limiting their access to the product available. This will result in a more equitable distribution of liquor, provide better product access, and reduce the inefficiencies and uncertainty of partially filled orders or unavailable product.
  • Require an inventory system to track orders that are not fulfilled or not fully filled, as well as unavailable products. This would allow ABC to see market trends and ensure the system is meeting demand as well as losses in revenue from unfulfilled orders.
  • Submittal of online permitting for new establishments and renewals.
• Require local ABC boards to participate in the central inventory and order management system.
• Establish a modern, affordable, and efficient liquor delivery system so liquor can be delivered directly to businesses in the same manner that other goods and services are delivered to businesses. 
• Require local ABC boards to establish and communicate to mixed beverage permittees the processes for distribution of rare and allocated spirits. 
• Allow ABC permittees to purchase liquor at any mixed beverage ABC store in the state. 

UP: What do you think the most pressing issue facing the restaurant industry is right now and what do you hope to see happen to address it?
LM: State and federal policies will continue to impact restaurants and the rest of the hospitality industry. 

Restaurants are at the tail end of a supply chain with the potential to be impacted by tariffs and immigration at almost every step. 

Any policy shifts could significantly affect the availability of workers, operational costs and business uncertainty. 

At the state level, restaurants and businesses in western North Carolina need business grants just like the hospitality business grants coming out of the pandemic. As it is today, this region and these businesses will take a generation to recover without help.

UP: How has hospitality in Charlotte specifically changed in your time as NCRLA president?
LM: One of the most remarkable trends I’ve witnessed in Charlotte—and across North Carolina—is the growing impact of the food and beverage industry on our state’s economic and cultural landscape. The growth of the industry has been remarkable.

Last year, restaurants and hotels generated over $34.9 billion in direct sales annually and employed nine percent of the state’s workforce. There are approximately 22,000 restaurant locations in the state. Charlotte’s culinary scene has flourished, attracting national recognition and elevating the city’s reputation as a premier dining destination.

Over the past decade, North Carolina has seen a significant rise in James Beard Award nominations, reflecting the depth of talent in our kitchens and bars. This year, Charlotte proudly celebrates three semifinalists, showcasing the city’s dynamic and evolving food scene:

Chayil Johnson, executive chef at Community Matters Café was nominated for Best Chef: Southeast. The restaurant helps Charlotte Rescue Mission graduates find new careers. Sam Diminich, the owner and chef at Restaurant Constance, was nominated for Best Chef: Southeast. Colleen Hughes, the beverage director at Supperland and NCRLA’s 2021 Mixologist of the Year was nominated for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. 

These nominations highlight the evolution of Charlotte’s hospitality industry and the city’s increasing influence on the national stage. As the industry continues to grow, Charlotte is solidifying its place as a must-visit destination for food lovers and culinary innovators alike.

UP: What can hospitality members do to push legislators to advocate more for them?
LM: When North Carolina’s hospitality industry unites, our collective voice grows stronger. Together, we drive meaningful changes: protecting, promoting, and advancing restaurants, lodging establishments, bars, and suppliers.

We need to continue to build strong relationships with North Carolina’s newly elected leaders and champion policies that enhance our industry’s positive impact and protect its future.

We also need to celebrate the people who make our industry exceptional. 

UP: At a time when a lot of independent restaurants are struggling to stay in business, what advice do you have for them?
LM: Restaurants are the cornerstones in our communities. They create jobs, bring people together, and support local economies. Owners and operators must be flexible and adapt to many changing trends. 

It gets harder every day to manage costs efficiently and come up with creative menus and operating strategies. Supporting local suppliers and farmers is important. Looking into technology can help streamline operations.