New Warnings About Alcohol Hit Restaurants at a Tricky Time

The surgeon general’s call to arms about the link between drinking and cancer could strike at a fiscal lifeline for restaurateurs facing falling sales.

The U.S. surgeon general’s new push to warn consumers about the link between drinking and cancer comes at a precarious time for restaurant owners trying to pencil out a profit that hinges on alcohol sales.

Costs of food and labor have risen, and some inflation-weary Americans continue to cut back on eating out. Sales dipped 1.7 percent between November 2023 and November 2024, according to the National Restaurant Association.

When people do go out to eat, some aren’t drinking as much. Members of Generation Z in particular are moderating how much they consume and have helped popularize terms like “sober curious” and “California sober,” in which cannabis replaces alcohol. A September survey showed 32 percent of all consumers who drink at least a few times a year were drinking less often in 2024 than before the pandemic, according to the research firm Datassential.

“We are in a new era of nonalcoholic drinking,” said Renee Wege, a trend expert and publications manager at the company.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned on Friday that alcohol is a preventable cause of cancer, and called for reconsidering the federal government’s guidelines for how much Americans can safely drink. As with cigarettes, he said, the cautionary labels already on alcoholic beverages should mention the risk of cancer.