LANCASTER, S.C. โ On the corner of Main Street and East Gay Street sits LA Tap Room, a small downtown bar thatโs been part of the Lancaster community for five years. Itโs a place known for live music, comedy shows and familiar faces โ a spot where locals gather and feel at home.
โItโs just a local, downtown corner bar where our locals and regulars come in,โ owner Scott Grant said.ย
But behind the scenes, Grant says staying open has become harder every year. Not because customers stopped coming but because insurance costs keep climbing.
โYou just see all these places dropping; Itโs just โ canโt do it, canโt do it,โ Grant said.
Grant points to South Carolinaโs liquor liability law, passed in 2017. The law holds businesses financially responsible if a customer they serve causes a drunk driving crash, making insurance skyrocket.
While the law was designed to protect the public, bar owners say itโs had unintended consequences. Insurance premiums have surged, and many insurers have stopped offering coverage in South Carolina altogether.
โIt started becoming harder than you would think,โ Grant said. โThe insurance company telling you when you call for quotes, some will tell you, โLook, youโre in South Carolina, we canโt help you.โโ
When Grant first opened LA Tap Room, he says he paid just a few thousand dollars a year for coverage. Now, heโs being quoted tens of thousands of dollars, if he can find a policy at all.
For a small town bar, Grant says those numbers donโt add up.
โWhy? Why should we have to work that hard just to pay an insurance premium for a year?โ Grant said. โWhat other industry has to deal with that?โ
The pressure has forced tough decisions. Grant says heโs watched other local bars shut down because they simply couldnโt afford to stay insured.
In an attempt to cut risk and costs, Grant has even adjusted hours at LA Tap Room, ย doing everything he can to keep the doors open.
South Carolina lawmakers recently passed changes to the liquor liability law, which went into effect Jan. 1, aimed at easing insurance burdens for some businesses. But Grant says the changes donโt erase years of rising costs or guarantee immediate relief.
Still, Grant isnโt ready to walk away from the place heโs built or the community that supports it.
โWe canโt hang on forever,โ Grant said. โBut weโre going to hang on as long as we can.โ
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.ย
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