Alcohol sales at San Antonio bars and restaurants were up last year, but not to pre-pandemic levels

Alcohol receipts for San Antonio bars and restaurants increased dramatically last year, spelling a potential recovery for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, TV station KSAT reports. But those sales numbers haven't yet hit pre-COVID levels.

Alamo City-area bars and restaurants reported a total of $626.4 million in alcohol sales to the Texas Comptroller’s Office for 2021, a 78% increase over the prior year, according to the station's analysis.

In 2020, the state forced closures of bars and dining rooms to slow the spread of the coronavirus. During that time, alcohol sales largely shifted to grocery and liquor stores, which aren't accounted for in the data reported to the Comptroller’s Office.

Though booze sales took a healthy spike last year, they’re still not back to pre-pandemic highs, according to KSAT's reporting. Last year's receipts fell short of 2019 number, when San Antonio bars and restaurants reported more than $644 million in alcohol sales, according to state data.

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