State Reviews Online Alcohol Delivery In Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - An online service offering delivery of beer, wine, liquor and even cups for drinks in Ann Arbor is under review by state officials.
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is conducting the review of DrinkDrivers, which has been delivering alcohol in the state's largest college town since late-March.
Customers log onto the DrinkDrivers.com website or use a mobile app to place orders for alcohol, mixers and cups. The service started last year around the University of Central Florida and this year made Ann Arbor its second location.
Co-founder Jeff Nadel said business in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, has been "going great" since it began. Under the system, a customer's age is verified online and delivery takes place within 30 to 60 minutes. Age is verified at delivery.
Carol Shepard Estill, a 14-year investigator with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, told The Ann Arbor News that DrinkDrivers has not been operating within the confines of the law, and that the business is not legal in Michigan.
Shepard Estill explained that DrinkDrivers is compliant when it comes to delivering beer and wine. The problem comes in, she said, with the delivery of hard liquor, which is prohibited under Michigan law.
Nadel insists his business is following state alcohol regulations.
"There are things in the law that seem contradictory, and so a lot of people will read just the statutory portion of the law, but when you drill down and read the clarifying rules you can see that (the delivery of spirits) is allowed," Nadel told The Ann Arbor News. "We made sure we did our research and we are definitely willing to sit down very amicably and explain everything to the state regulators."
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