There are plenty of reasons to love the weekend, but if you’re like me, brunch is always toward the top of that list.  Not only can you expect the perfect combination of breakfast and lunch foods on the menu, you also can look forward to washing down your meal with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa.  But you might have noticed one aspect of brunch that is severely lacking in the Buckeye state – we don’t have bottomless brunch.

For those that are unaware of the bottomless brunch concept, it’s when restaurants offer patrons the opportunity to drink unlimited alcoholic beverages (usually Bloody Marys or Mimosas) with their meal.  Oftentimes, restaurants set a time limit to prevent customers from imbibing with their friends all day long.  For example, a lot of restaurants will start the clock when customers sit down, and after two hours of eating and drinking, those customers will be (politely) asked to leave.

So, why is it that Ohio restaurants don’t offer bottomless brunch?  It’s illegal.  According to Ohio Administrative Code Section 4301:1-1-50, “No liquor permit holder…shall offer to sell…an unlimited number of servings of alcoholic beverages during any set period of time for a fixed price.  This law prevents Ohio liquor permit holders from offering bottomless alcoholic brunch beverages.

However, for Ohio restaurants looking to capitalize on the bottomless brunch craze, an alternative is to sell a bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne and offer unlimited juices for Mimosas.  While it is not quite as exciting as a true bottomless brunch, it’s the best we can do in Ohio for as long as that law is in place.