“The legalities of serving alcohol vary from location to location, so you really have to understand what the laws are,” Olsen says. “As is true for any type of food establishment, quick-service restaurant employees must have proper training concerning alcohol, as well as adequate supervision.”

Theft can be an issue, too.

“You trust that you have a certain type of staff, but we know in this business that’s not always the case,” Lazar says.

To keep employees from helping themselves to the wine, restaurants rely on security cameras, diligent inventory checks, locked storage, eagle-eyed management, and zero-tolerance policies regarding theft.

Still, some quick-serves are willing to accept the risks.

“No matter what you’re doing, there are always liability issues,” says Staci Raymond, operations manager for Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, a three-unit, drive-in-style concept that offers 11 wines by the glass and 15 varieties by the bottle. “We believe it’s worth the trouble.”