LANCASTER, S.C. — On the corner of Main Street and East Gay Street sits LA Tap Room, a small downtown bar that’s been part of the Lancaster community for five years. It’s a place known for live music, comedy shows and familiar faces — a spot where locals gather and feel at home.
“It’s just a local, downtown corner bar where our locals and regulars come in,” owner Scott Grant said.
But behind the scenes, Grant says staying open has become harder every year. Not because customers stopped coming but because insurance costs keep climbing.
“You just see all these places dropping; It’s just — can’t do it, can’t do it,” Grant said.
Grant points to South Carolina’s 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 it’s had unintended consequences. Insurance premiums have surged, and many insurers have stopped offering coverage in South Carolina altogether.
“It started becoming harder than you would think,” Grant said. “The insurance company telling you when you call for quotes, some will tell you, ‘Look, you’re in South Carolina, we can’t help you.’”
When Grant first opened LA Tap Room, he says he paid just a few thousand dollars a year for coverage. Now, he’s being quoted tens of thousands of dollars, if he can find a policy at all.
For a small town bar, Grant says those numbers don’t add up.
“Why? Why should we have to work that hard just to pay an insurance premium for a year?” Grant said. “What other industry has to deal with that?”
The pressure has forced tough decisions. Grant says he’s watched other local bars shut down because they simply couldn’t afford to stay insured.
In an attempt to cut risk and costs, Grant has even adjusted hours at LA Tap Room, 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 don’t erase years of rising costs or guarantee immediate relief.
Still, Grant isn’t ready to walk away from the place he’s built or the community that supports it.
“We can’t hang on forever,” Grant said. “But we’re going to hang on as long as we can.”
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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