From Sports Bar to Soup Kitchen

[Gilligan]

Is this because some equate a regular old bar/club with a restaurant that has a BWL license? Restaurants have to have receipts from food sales greater than receipts for alcohol sales, but can't find this requirement for bars.

Like I said above, I never heard of such a requirement nor were we ever asked about it. There was one annual exception: You could apply for and receive (I always did) a special exemption from the closing time limit for New Years eve/day. To get the allowance you had to assert that you would be serving "real" food in the morning for all patrons. We'd put out a pretty nice spread that included some local favorites like oysters fixed various ways, clam fritters etc, buffet style.

We had the most expansive liquor license that existed in the county: large enclosed bar over the water, open "tiki" bar over the water, small bar in the restaurant (seated 8 as I recall and of course alcohol served at diner's tables), and an outdoor area serving bar built off the end of our crab/bbq shack. And on top of all that, an ABC license for our general store. Even the restaurant bar never had to account for food sales versus alcohol sales.

 

[tipsymcgee]

Is this because some equate a regular old bar/club with a restaurant that has a BWL license? Restaurants have to have receipts from food sales greater than receipts for alcohol sales, but can't find this requirement for bars.

Yeah unless something changed recently, the food sales are required on the restaurant side but not on the tavern/bar only side. Taverns I think just have to provide something - snacks, chips, pizzas, pickled eggs (lol), etc. Restaurants have to fill out a prior year's food/alcohol ratio report of total sales, plus the percentage that's alcohol vs. food. It's in the Class breakdown of what type of license you have. A/B/C on/off, etc.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

Here's a relevant section of St. Mary's County liquor licence regs ... but I can't figure out which licence class it falls under. Maybe they don't issue those anymore?

"(aa)Tavern -[could be a standard bar, saloon type, I guess as well] - an establishment in which the average daily receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages sold for consumption on the premises exceed the average daily receipts from the sale of food, and when applicable, the area designated for the sale of package goods does not exceed 25% of the total licensed area."

And the "grandfather" clause ... bolded for emphasis.
"2.12 - Transfers (a) No transfer of a license holder's place of business to another location, or the sale or assignment of a license or a license holder's business or stock in trade may occur without the prior approval of the Board, upon written application of the license holder or the transferee, subject to all of the same requirements as for a new application or transfer, as applicable."

And this is interesting ....
"4.11 - Sale of Beer for Cash In St. Mary's County, no manufacturer or wholesaler may sell any beer to any retailer except for cash on delivery."

And most likely, the main reason for the closing of so many bars, (just kidding) is in the section ... You've really got to read it.
"5.03 - Prohibited Attire and Conduct"

To gain the knowledge of the regs yourself, have a read ...

https://www.stmarysmd.com/docs/ABB%20Rules_Regs.pdf

 

[Gilligan]

If I may ...


And the "grandfather" clause ... bolded for emphasis.
"2.12 - Transfers (a) No transfer of a license holder's place of business to another location, or the sale or assignment of a license or a license holder's business or stock in trade may occur without the prior approval of the Board, upon written application of the license holder or the transferee, subject to all of the same requirements as for a new application or transfer, as applicable."

I don't recall a time when that law was any different. When I bought Swann's, getting my own liquor license for the place was one of the first orders of business. To get a "jump" on that process (it involves a hearing in addition to the application itself and those are scheduled monthly), I leased the bar from the sellers prior to settlement, so there would be no interruption of the bar operation.

I believe it is also still a law here that no person can have/hold more than one liquor license.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

I don't recall a time when that law was any different. When I bought Swann's, getting my own liquor license for the place was one of the first orders of business. To get a "jump" on that process (it involves a hearing in addition to the application itself and those are scheduled monthly), I leased the bar from the sellers prior to settlement, so there would be no interruption of the bar operation.

I believe it is also still a law here that no person can have/hold more than one liquor license.

I think the one owner not having more than one license has gone away, at least for Class B licenses.

More Than One Restaurant Liquor License May Be Issued

A liquor license holder in Maryland may now be issued more than one restaurant liquor license. Effective July 1, 2018, House Bill 2018-1003, now Chapter

www.marylandalcoholicbeveragelaw.com

I know a couple years ago some guy down in Solomon's tried to get a license for another restaurant he'd just acquired and was turned down even though the state law said he could have it. The statement by the liquor board chair, Bob Arscott, was (and I'm paraphrasing) was on the order of that it might be legal to have more than one license but we didn't want that in our clean County.

The applicant came back the next month with an agent for the second place and was approved. Had I been him I might have said **** it and sued the Board as a group and Arscott as an individual.

I tried, sort of, to find the writeup but couldn't.

Full disclosure: I do have a personal, political problem with Arscott which may color my belief that he's an idiot.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

I think the one owner not having more than one license has gone away, at least for Class B licenses.

More Than One Restaurant Liquor License May Be Issued

A liquor license holder in Maryland may now be issued more than one restaurant liquor license. Effective July 1, 2018, House Bill 2018-1003, now Chapter

www.marylandalcoholicbeveragelaw.com

I know a couple years ago some guy down in Solomon's tried to get a license for another restaurant he'd just acquired and was turned down even though the state law said he could have it. The statement by the liquor board chair, Bob Arscott, was (and I'm paraphrasing) was on the order of that it might be legal to have more than one license but we didn't want that in our clean County.

The applicant came back the next month with an agent for the second place and was approved. Had I been him I might have said **** it and sued the Board as a group and Arscott as an individual.

I tried, sort of, to find the writeup but couldn't.

Full disclosure: I do have a personal, political problem with Arscott which may color my belief that he's an idiot.

In Calvert, IRRC, regarding the Solomons Tiki Bar, one of the issues that it couldn't be sold outright by the widow after the passing of her husband, was because it could not be operated as it was under the old licence after a sale. So, those that are running it now, are operating it under the old licence, with a 5 year lease. If they had to get a newly issued license, it would have basically not been the Tiki Bar as it was known anymore, with way more restrictions and a serious scaling back on the use of the property.

Bob Arscott = good 'ole boy do gooder virtue signaler that knows what is best for the entirety of Culvert County.

 

[jrt_ms1995]

Restaurants have to have receipts from food sales greater than receipts for alcohol sales, but can't find this requirement for bars.

Is that why their food prices have gotten so high, so that they can maintain this balance? $15 for a chicken wrap with stale chips, anyone?

 

[Gilligan]

I think the one owner not having more than one license has gone away, at least for Class B licenses.

More Than One Restaurant Liquor License May Be Issued

A liquor license holder in Maryland may now be issued more than one restaurant liquor license. Effective July 1, 2018, House Bill 2018-1003, now Chapter

www.marylandalcoholicbeveragelaw.com

I know a couple years ago some guy down in Solomon's tried to get a license for another restaurant he'd just acquired and was turned down even though the state law said he could have it. The statement by the liquor board chair, Bob Arscott, was (and I'm paraphrasing) was on the order of that it might be legal to have more than one license but we didn't want that in our clean County.

The applicant came back the next month with an agent for the second place and was approved. Had I been him I might have said **** it and sued the Board as a group and Arscott as an individual.

I tried, sort of, to find the writeup but couldn't.

Full disclosure: I do have a personal, political problem with Arscott which may color my belief that he's an idiot.

That restriction was pretty hard and fast here in St. Mary's when I was a bar owner...I don't know of anyone that ever held two licenses. Many people like Gatton that owned multiple bar or restaurant businesses had the license for each under his name, his wife's name and the name(s) of someone he "leased" it to.. Glad to see the state made that requirement go away...I always thought it was arbitrary and silly.