SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Legislature may be forced to increase the number of liquor licenses for bars and restaurants as the state's economy continues to grow.
Bar licenses have always been a limited quantity, doled out by an arbitrary population quota of one license per 10,200 people. But a new problem has emerged: restaurant licenses are now in limited supply. At Tuesday's meeting of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission, restaurants were warned they were running out of licenses.
"People are looking to go out. They were a little stir-crazy after COVID," said Michele Corigliano, the executive director of the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association.
She said with new restaurants opening all the time, it's stressed the demand for full-service restaurant licenses.
"There’s just a great explosion of the economy here in Utah. We’re so lucky, so many people have moved in from out of state. We have this demand," Corigliano said.
The difference between a bar license and a restaurant license involves whether minors can be on the premises and a requirement that restaurants have no more than 30% of their total sales in alcohol.
DABS commissioners have openly voiced irritation with the lack of licenses, viewing it as hurting small businesses. Commissioners often urge people to contact their elected legislators if they want to see changes.
"Legislative statute doesn’t allow any more room. We’re here. We’ve hit the wall," DABS Commission Chair Juliette Tennert said.
Where the legislature seemed reluctant to take it up, FOX 13 News is told many lawmakers are now beginning to come around.
"I've recently been able to meet with several of our representatives and yes, I think if ever there was a year that has a call to action to it, here we are," said Tim Ryan, the chief financial officer of 'Bout Time Pub & Grub, a local chain of sports bars.
Ryan has been waiting for months for licenses for his businesses. The DABS has taken to triaging who can get a license by ensuring a business is ready to open once they get awarded one. That requires businesses to spend thousands on equipment, rent and employees with no guarantee that they'll get a license right away.
"They can’t be giving out licenses to people who aren’t ready to open because others will be ready to open sooner," Ryan said.
At Tuesday's meeting, he sported a T-shirt made for commissioners that said "Almost Ready to Open." It was a joke about the circumstances that bar applicants face, but Ryan told FOX 13 News he supported the DABS commission's position on it.
"It better serves the taxpayers and business owners, I think, to have their current position. But I think a better fix would be if you're a qualified applicant and you meet all the statutory requirements of holding a bar license? That you get one and we just need to fix that at the legislative level," he said.
Corigliano, who often testifies before the legislature on liquor legislation, said she's seen lawmakers more willing to address the problems.
"We have a Republican legislature and they don’t want to put a halt to businesses and the economy," she told FOX 13 News. "So they’ve been very receptive to not only adding licenses, but making sure it’s not just a Band-Aid but a long term fix."
Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, who is tasked with liquor bills for the Utah State Senate's GOP majority, told FOX 13 News it will likely be in an omnibus bill in the upcoming legislative session. That bill will also address issues like wine storage, internal DABS operations and other issues stakeholders bring to lawmakers.
"I believe we will address the licensing thing," he said.
Sen. Stevenson said it was possible they rework existing licenses now to free up some to deal with the most-pressing issues. But he acknowledged liquor laws overall will likely see some tweaks with major events coming to Utah.
"There are some things we’re looking at as far as the Olympics, we’ve got the All-Star Game coming. Those kind of things are going to require us to kind of look at what we’re doing and if we can, make those things fit," he said.
Governor Spencer Cox recently reiterated his support to increase the number of bar licenses in Utah. Chair Tennert said she believed the legislature is willing to make changes.
"I have confidence the legislature, they’re all sensible. I have confidence we’re going to be able to reach some sort of sensible solution," she said.
Asked if that meant more bar licenses, she told FOX 13 News: "That would be my hope."
