Hutchinson’s Sandhills Brewery became like a scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life" Tuesday afternoon.

The owner of the popular craft brewery had put out a plea via email and social media advising customers if the business didn’t make nearly $15,000 in food sales over the next 10 days, it would lose its license and be forced to close.

“It was a Hail Mary,” said owner Pippin Williamson, confessing he wasn’t sure the deadline could be met.“We sent out the email and social post shortly after 3 p.m.,” he said. “Before 4 p.m., we had wall-to-wall customers and a line out the door that didn't stop until well past 8:30.”

Within 5 hours, they had received enough orders to surpass what they understood were the state licensing requirements, though some food advance-ordered will be going out for days.

“We were a little overwhelmed,” Williamson said. “It’s been a fascinating last 24 hours.”

Late Wednesday afternoon, however, Williamson updated the information, indicating there was a misunderstanding on how the food percentage is calculated, and nearly $13,000 more is needed. The business has until Sept. 30 to meet it.

Williamson became aware of the issue with their license within the last two weeks and thought they’d be able to work it out with regulators, he said. But despite calls from a local lawmaker and county commissioner, Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) officials were firm.

“We believed before this, if we didn’t have sufficient food sales per county regulations, the ABC would issue a warning, a fine or a requirement we meet with the county to devise a plan of some kind,” he said.

The small brewery, which has operated downtown for 4 ½ years, missed the requirement that 30% of its sales come from food in 2020. But ABC officials didn't mention it and reissued their license.

He found out two days ago, “even after direct conversations with the director of the ABC through our state representative, they said there was absolutely no way they would give us a license without meeting the food sales,” Williamson said.

“That was Monday,” he said. “So yesterday, during the day, we put together this backup plan on how to do this. Basically, it would mean before the end of September, we needed to sell $14,700 in food or possibly more to raise our food sale percentage to 30%.”

Before they closed for the night on Tuesday, they processed $16,710 in food sales.

They thought they were done but then discovered late Wednesay that rather than 30% of gross alcohol sales, they need to have food sales equal to 30% of combined food and alcohol sales. So the number needed was $24,649. That meant just under $13,000 more is needed.

Williamson noted every dollar contributed for food must go to food consumed on the premises or delivered by the growing business.

“A lot of people yesterday received the food on our premises, in the form of pizza, hot dogs and chips, etc.,” Williamson said. “We had a lot of online purchases for pizza that will be delivered either directly to the buyer or local shelters or similar organizations in coming days. Or they can come to pick them up at the building.”

“Every single dollar is a true food purchase for a customer, or on behalf of someone by a customer,” he said.LMNO Pizza in Mount Hope makes the pizzas the brewery sells and delivers them to Sandhills frozen. The brewery cooks them on site in an electric conveyor oven.

The rest of this week, the brewery will also have different food offerings on-site, including Arabic food prepared by ZAAKI, a Wichita chef, from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, or until the food is gone; smoked beef and pork sandwiches with sides starting between 4 and 5 p.m. Thursday; and barbecue chicken and steak sandwiches from the grill Friday evening.

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“Saturday and beyond is still in planning,” Williamson said.

The brewery is also partnering with Primal Industries, a local beef jerky producer selling $10 packages of jerky to donate to people in need.

Also, Sandhills will donate every online food sale through the end of September to the Reno County Food Bank or others in need, Williamson said.

Williamson said they knew the food rule for their license could hurt them at some point “because we don’t want to be a restaurant.” But he was surprised by ABC’s intransigence.

So he now plans to work with local lawmakers to try to get the regulations changed.

“It’s a county regulation, so there was this expectation, an expectation statewide of the brewing community, that you have to work with the county to make sure the county is happy,” he said. “That’s not what happened.”

An alternative "club" license permits an establishment to sell alcohol by the glass.

“However, they are private clubs that don't permit public events as we frequently do. That type of license is incompatible with who we are as a business and why we exist. We’d not be able to do music nights, we couldn’t host local business meet-ups. You can’t do any of those if you’re a private club.”

He’s committed, Williamson said, “to making sure this antiquated law goes away.”

“We will be working with our state representatives and other elected officials at the county level to get this law changed, to ensure we don’t have to face this again and that no one else, ideally, has to face it,” he said. “But it’s a process. It will take a minimum of a year, potentially much longer, to get it changed.”

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In the meantime, they’ll keep selling food, and appreciating the community.

“I have just the most sincere and humble gratitude,” Williamson said. “The support we got last night from our regular customers to total strangers, from people on the other side of the state, there is no other word for it but amazing.”