Texas legalizes liquor by the drink (1970)
Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment letting counties hold local option elections on whether to permit liquor by the drink. Before this, restaurants could serve beer and wine, but liquor drinkers had to bring their own bottle — the practice called brown bagging.
Harris County voters approved by-the-drink sales. Restaurants and clubs began applying for mixed beverage permits within months.
The amendment created the modern mixed beverage permit system that businesses like Lou-Chi still navigate, with the same basic MB license structure intact.
The MB license issued to Lou-Chi is a direct descendant of this 1970 change. The permit structure has barely shifted in over five decades.
