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Want An Alcoholic Beverage License For Your Pub? What To Know

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Your eagerness to start a fun, thriving pub that offers great food and cold drinks can hinge on one thing: the liquor license. If you're not used to running a pub and have never been involved in acquiring the license for alcoholic beverages, you might not realize that the license can be tricky to come by. Here's what you ought to know:

There are a Finite Number of Licenses

Right now, you may think you can just purchase an alcoholic beverage license the same way that you might purchase an empty lot or a building. The truth is that in most towns and cities, there are a finite number of these licenses given to people. If your small town only gives out 10 liquor licenses and they are all being used, you will have to wait until another company goes out of business and sells the license before you're able to get it or if the town council votes to relax the rules in place.

Your Past May Disqualify You

Depending on the type of life you've lead up to this point, your city might be reluctant to put a liquor license in your name. You, your spouse, and any business partners will need to submit a thorough application, submit to background checks, and provide a lot of financial and building documentation so that the city is confident that your place will be a reputable location that is safe with liquor on the premises. If you have a criminal history or other troublesome issues on your record, such as a bankruptcy, your application could be denied.

Licenses May Cost More Than You Expect

You probably already realize that you'll have to make a good-sized financial investment in your liquor license, and you might be happy to do so, knowing that liquor could boost your pub's profits. You might even understand that if licenses are scarce in your area, the price will likely be quite high. However, you may not be prepared to spend as much as 1.2 million dollars on it, which can happen in some locations.

You need to spend some time figuring out how you can finance the cost of the liquor license, just as you work on a deal for the building and equipment. Companies like Alcoholic Beverage License Service can help you figure out what license would be best for your pub. This may take some time to set up and could delay the opening of your pub, so investigating current prices is something to do as soon as you can.

Now that you know more about liquor licenses, you may wonder if you'll ever get one. Consulting an alcoholic beverage license company can give the assistance you need to go through this whole process.


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