Some alcohol deliveries were late the past 2 years. Why it matters, what can be done.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Audit found LB&B missed delivery time goals in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
- Mechanical failures, staffing gaps and Hurricane Helene drove many late deliveries.
- Audit urged fleet maintenance, emergency routes and route improvements statewide.
Alcohol deliveries across North Carolina saw delays over the past two years, including some that were more than four hours late.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and LB&B Associates, which receives shipments, manages inventory and delivers orders statewide for the commission, did not reach delivery time goals set in either fiscal year 2024 or 2025, according to a new state audit.
Allen Thomas, the president and CEO of the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association, said in a statement that its stakeholders emphasize that “even small disruptions in the ABC distribution system can have a disproportionate impact on restaurants and bars operating with tight margins and inventory needs.”
“From NCRLA’s perspective, the takeaway is less about a single metric and more about the broader opportunity to modernize and strengthen the system to better support a growing hospitality industry,” Thomas said. “That includes improving logistics reliability, increasing flexibility for permittees, and ensuring the system can scale with demand.”
The audit recommended solutions like a fleet maintenance schedule and emergency plans for severe weather events to address root causes of the delays. Repairs and inclement weather were cited as two of the major reasons for late deliveries.
A contract between the ABC Commission and LB&B set a few goals for the past two fiscal years, including targets for delivery times.
In FY 2024, deliveries 99% of the time should have arrived within 30 minutes of the scheduled time. In FY 2025, deliveries were required to arrive within an hour of the scheduled time 98% of the time.
The data shows that 305 of the 7,119 deliveries made in fiscal year 2024 were more than 30 minutes late. That’s 4% of deliveries that year. In fiscal year 2025, 200 deliveries out of 7,041 were more than an hour late, which is 3%.
LB&B’s on-time deliveries averaged 96.4% for the two fiscal years.
The audit notes that delays can create disruptions for local ABC boards, such as having to adjust staffing at stores. Delays can also cause popular products to be out of stock, which can “erode customer trust.”
The data only includes deliveries to local ABC boards and stores. Restaurants, bars or other establishments then purchase alcohol from those stores.
Solutions suggested
Mechanical issues, staffing shortages and severe weather events, including Hurricane Helene in September 2024, were the most common causes for late deliveries, according to the audit.
To continue to address those root causes, the audit recommended that the ABC Commission work with LB&B to create a maintenance schedule for the fleet and a plan for severe weather events using emergency routes.
It also recommended improving specific routes that frequently see late deliveries.
The data shows that routes in Pitt County and Guilford County had the highest percentages of late deliveries over fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Pitt saw 9% of its deliveries be considered late, and Guilford saw 8%.
LB&B said at a meeting in fiscal year 2024 that it could use temp agencies when drivers call out to address the staffing shortage issue.
The four other goals in the contract included accurately invoicing and collecting surcharge fees; shipping a minimum of 165,000 cases per week; filling and delivering orders with 99% accuracy; and submitting safety reports within 15 days of the end of the quarter.
The audit found that LB&B met three of those goals: invoicing, order accuracy and submitting safety reports.
In the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, which was January to March, LB&B did not reach the 165,000-case shipping minimum. It reached the goal in seven of the eight quarters over the two fiscal years.
The audit notes a seasonal pattern where customer demand for alcohol decreases after the holiday season, causing a reduction in sales.
“While this decrease is expected, it highlights the need to adjust logistics planning and staffing to match seasonal changes in demand,” according to the audit.
The Office of the State Auditor conducts the performance report.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 3:34 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mispelled the name of the president and CEO of the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association. Allen Thomas holds that position at the NCRLA.
