Opening a new bar or restaurant is an exciting and often lucrative endeavor, especially if your patrons can grab their favorite beer, wine, or cocktail with their meals. However, serving alcohol isn’t as simple as adding it to your menu. You’ll need a special license to ensure your business operates legally.
Different Types of Licenses
There are different types of liquor licenses, and the one you apply for depends on which types of alcohol you want to serve. If you expect most of your sales to come from liquor, you’ll need a tavern liquor license. If you only want to serve beer and wine, you will receive a license that specifies your establishment can’t sell spirits or hard liquor. The most common license is a restaurant liquor license and is sometimes known as an “all-liquor license.” Finally, if you plan to make your own beer or wine at your establishment, you’ll likely need to apply for a brewpub liquor license. A beer and wine license is the most affordable, but a tavern license provides the most leeway with the items you sell.
What You Need to Qualify
Keep in mind that you’ll need to meet requirements as an individual if you want to apply for a liquor license in your name. Although states have slightly different regulations, most of them are very similar. For example, you must be 21 to drink alcohol, so you must be 21 to sell it as well. You may have to live in the area for at least 90 days before applying, may need to get a seller’s permit first, and may need to take a training course in serving alcohol. Finally, if you have a criminal record, expect it to be harder to obtain a liquor license. In fact, some people hire companies to help them get a liquor license Dallas TX.
Avoid rushing through the liquor licensing process. Take your time to determine which license best fits your needs and ensure you fill out your paperwork correctly and completely. Preventing small mistakes now will save you time and application fees in the future and have you serving brews in no time.