CHADDS FORD, Penn. – After an ongoing approval process that Wawa initiated earlier this summer, the Concord Township Board of Supervisors in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, voted unanimously this week to grant conditional use for the retailer to sell beer at its location in Chadds Ford. While the state must still approve Wawa’s request, initial approval by the township was the larger hurdle. The board has previously granted similar approval to Acme, Whole Foods and Wegmans.

The store in question, one of Wawa’s largest at 7,400-plus square feet, was granted approval with the condition that the product line would be similar to other Wawa locations. Including beer sales required a re-opening of the initial conditional use hearing, similar to the procedure needed when the store added diesel fuel.

To meet the mandates of the state liquor code, Wawa will create a separate 400-square-foot space within the store for beer sales and consumption, including a cooler, seating for 30 and a dedicated register. A four-foot-high wall identifying the area as the Wild Goose Café will divide it from the remainder of the store. The eatery, to be accessed from a portion of the main entrance and a 10-foot opening near the register, will also be available to those enjoying non-alcoholic beverages with their meal.

Customers will be permitted to buy 192 ounces, or two six packs, and be required to purchase the beer before it is consumed. Individuals will be allowed to drink only one bottle or can per day while seated in the café, a limit that will be reinforced with signage, and they may not take open containers outside the store. Posted signs, which the resolution states must be “conspicuously displayed inside and outside the store,” will remind customers of the restrictions. The location is open 24/7 and the approval will permit beer sales between 8 am to 10 pm, Sunday-Thursday and 8 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday. The cooler will be locked during off-hours and no beer on tap will be permitted.

Employees involved in beer sales will be instructed in the state’s Responsible Alcohol Management Training (RAMP) training, a condition imposed by the board. The supervisors included a number of additional stipulations:

• Wawa must conform to all Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board rules, including any restrictions on beer sales and/or consumption on property where gasoline is dispensed.
• No live entertainment will be permitted inside the store, nor is outside live entertainment or music allowed.
• No exterior seating will be permitted, additional outside trash cans must be installed and Wawa must provide the board with an exterior security camera plan detailing coverage of the parking lot and areas to the rear of the store.
• A log must be maintained of outdoor inspections made by the on-duty manager between 6 pm -11 pm.
• Wawa must also make a $15,000 contribution toward traffic and/or pedestrian studies or improvements in the vicinity, to be used at the discretion of the township.