Changes to Kansas liquor laws could boost Prairie Village hospitality businesses

A new law will allow local bars and restaurants, like Tavern in the Village, to offer happy hour specials.

A bill rolling back some of Kansas’s more restrictive liquor laws signed by Gov. Sam Brownback earlier this month may prove a boon to Prairie Village’s burgeoning hospitality industry.

The bill will allow bars and restaurants to offer happy hour specials for set periods of time. Previously, bars and restaurants had to make any special last the whole day. The bill will also allow liquor stores to offer samples to their customers. It goes into effect July 1.

Mary Rimann of Rimann Liquors at The Village Shops says she thinks the changes will help broaden her customers’ horizons and allow the store to provide better customer service.

Rimann said the store will likely try to hold tastings at the store on a regular basis.

“There are so many new varieties of beer and wine coming onto the market all the time,” she said. “This seems like a great way to educate people about new products. They get to try things without having to commit to a whole bottle.”

Two doors down from Rimann’s store, Kelly Manning at Tavern in the Village says he thinks the changes will allow him to try to drive in traffic during typically slower periods.

“I think we’ll probably [have happy hour] a few days a week — probably Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said. “Before, you couldn’t really use specials as an incentive to get people in the door. Usually, people are coming in anyway, and they just find out we have a special. But this will allow you to draw people in during slower periods.”