It is not the preferred option, Stan Sheetz said. "The laws are ridiculous. We're doing what we have to do," he told the newspaper.
Ohio Springs Inc., a Sheetz Inc. subsidiary, recently filed again for the transfer after the state Supreme Court shot down its initial license [image-nocss] over the on-premises sales issue. Ohio Springs seeks to transfer an eating place license from a local business to the Sheetz location.
Stan Sheetz said it was the company's preference to not allow on-premises consumption. "That's how we [initially] applied," Sheetz said. "There are lots and lots of places that do not sell for on-premises consumption. It really didn't seem to be an issue. It's an issue now and we're going to have to deal with it."
Sheetz is permitted to sell beer at its locations outside of Pennsylvania, he said.
The PLCB approved the transfer of the license in September 2004, setting off a five-year state court battle, said the report.
Sheetz started selling six- and 12-packs of beer and malt-based coolers on Feb. 1, 2007, but the sales were halted three weeks later by a Commonwealth Court ruling. Ohio Springs and the PLCB appealed, which allowed sales from Feb. 28, 2007, to June 16 this year, a day after the Supreme Court ruling.
The Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania, which stopped Sheetz's first license attempt, is opposing the new effort. The association filed a petition to intervene with the PLCB, executive secretary Mary Lou Hogan said. "You can see it's the storeSheetzwho would like to sell the beer, not the cafe or the restaurant," Hogan told the paper.
That's not permitted, she said.
A hearing date has yet to be scheduled before the PLCB on Sheetz's request, PLCB spokesperson Nick Hays told the paper. Stan Sheetz said he hopes that it may occur in November or December, but it is not certain.
Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage.
Alsoclick here for Sheetz's webpage on the issue.
In other company news, Samantha Shumake of Statesville, N.C., was the winner of Sheetz's "Made to Order Summer of Love Fantasy" sweepstakes, receiving $25,000. She was one of 26,239 Sheetz customers across North Carolina who had entered the Summer of Love sweepstakes. To enter, customers had to sign up for a MySheetz Card between June 22 and August 21.
Every time they visit a Sheetz store, MySheetz Card holders accumulate points toward discounts on Sheetz fuel.
Sheetz also gave away seven prizes of $1,500 each. During the "Sheetz Summer of Love" campaign, winners also were treated to free tanks of gasoline, concert tickets and other prizes.
Altoona-based Sheetz operates more than 350 convenience locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides a menu of MTO subs, sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through touchscreen order-point terminals.
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