Fewer alcohol drinkers lead to innovative solutions

DENTON, Texas — Within the past year, the Texas Restaurant Association reports a 5%-6% drop in alcohol orders, something that has caused restaurants and bars all over the state to sound the alarm and look for other ways to mitigate the drop.   

Bars like Miss Angeline’s in Denton are adding non-alcoholic beverages, or mocktails, to their menus. No spirits, but still crafted to be delicious and interesting drinks, nonetheless.  

“The garden smash. It’s delicious. It’s mocktail gin with cucumber, mint and lime,” says Miss Angeline’s manager Desmond Moore. He hopes the alcohol-free drinks will help the bar stand out from the crowd. “We wanted to find the niche to keep people one, on the street and two to give them a different vibe. I would say we still have a fair amount of alcohol drinkers, but we have seen a large uptick in mocktails,” Moore said.  

“I’ve not seen this in my seven years here at the restaurant association. I lived through the heyday of what I would call alcohol sales, and then we would have expected some type of leveling back, but now that we’ve had sort of a year of a decrease. I think that is starting to be a little more alarming,” said Emily Williams-Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association.  

Williams-Knight attributes the drop in alcohol sales to three primary factors: inflation, appetite suppressant drugs — and perhaps the biggest influence — Gen-Z.  

“The next generation is not looking at alcohol the same way as previous generations. In some cases, they’re opting to abstain from alcohol completely,” Knight said.  

It’s not just Texas — a national poll by Gallup shows that 54% of Americans drink alcohol. That’s the lowest recorded number in nearly 90 years. 

“We know that this next generation of drinkers is already being exposed to and almost marketed to a sober lifestyle. And that’s sort of one side of it,” Knight said.  

The antidote to fewer alcohol drinkers is more options.  

“Kombucha or like THC cocktails. There’s quite a few people that are enjoying that. We have more options so that they can hang out with their friends when we go out,” Moore said. 

And that’s why Miss Angeline’s will keep serving customers, alcohol or not. 

“There is a different generation that doesn’t enjoy drinking as much, but they still enjoy going out. They want to hang out with their friends. It’s good for them to have options and still enjoy time out,” Moore said.