16-4-420. Restaurant beer and wine license. (1) The department shall issue a restaurant beer and wine license to an applicant whenever the department determines that the applicant, in addition to satisfying the requirements of this section, meets the following qualifications and conditions:
(a) the applicant complies with the licensing criteria provided in 16-4-401 for an on-premises consumption license;
(b) the applicant operates a restaurant at the location where the restaurant beer and wine license will be used or satisfies the department that:
(i) the applicant intends to open a restaurant that will meet the requirements of subsection (6) and intends to operate the restaurant so that at least 65% of the restaurant's gross income during its first year of operation is expected to be the result of the sale of food;
(ii) the restaurant beer and wine license will be used in conjunction with that restaurant, that the restaurant will serve beer and wine only to a patron who orders food, and that beer and wine purchases will be stated on the food bill; and
(iii) the restaurant will serve beer and wine from a service bar, as service bar is defined by the department by rule;
(c) the applicant understands and acknowledges in writing on the application that this license prohibits the applicant from being licensed to conduct any gaming or gambling activity or operate any gambling machines and that if any gaming or gambling activity or machine exists at the location where the restaurant beer and wine license will be used, the activity must be discontinued or the machines must be removed before the restaurant beer and wine license takes effect; and
(d) the applicant states the planned seating capacity of the restaurant, if it is to be built, or the current seating capacity if the restaurant is operating.
(2) (a) A restaurant that has an existing retail license for the sale of beer, wine, or any other alcoholic beverage may not be considered for a restaurant beer and wine license at the same location.
(b) (i) An on-premises retail licensee who sells the licensee's existing retail license may not apply for a license under this section for a period of 1 year from the date that license is transferred to a new purchaser.
(ii) A person, including an individual, with an ownership interest in an existing on-premises retail license that is being transferred to a new purchaser may not attain an ownership interest in a license applied for under this section for a period of 1 year from the date that the existing on-premises retail license is transferred to a new purchaser.
(3) A completed application for a license under this section and the appropriate application fee, as provided in subsection (11), must be submitted to the department. The department shall investigate the items relating to the application as described in subsections (3)(a) through (3)(d). Based on the results of the investigation and the exercise of its sound discretion, the department shall determine whether:
(a) the applicant is qualified to receive a license;
(b) the applicant's premises are suitable for the carrying on of the business;
(c) the requirements of this code and the rules promulgated by the department are complied with; and
(d) the seating capacity stated on the application is correct.
(4) An application for a beer and wine license submitted under this section is subject to the provisions of 16-4-203, 16-4-207, and 16-4-405.
(5) If a premises proposed for licensing under this section is a new or remodeled structure, then the department may issue a conditional license prior to completion of the premises based on reasonable evidence, including a statement from the applicant's architect or contractor confirming that the seating capacity stated on the application is correct, that the premises will be suitable for the carrying on of business as a bona fide restaurant, as defined in subsection (6).
(6) (a) For purposes of this section, "restaurant" means a public eating place:
(i) where individually priced meals are prepared and served for on-premises consumption;
(ii) where at least 65% of the restaurant's annual gross income from the operation must be from the sale of food and not from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Each year after a license is issued, the applicant shall file with the department a statement, in a form approved by the department, attesting that at least 65% of the gross income of the restaurant during the prior year resulted from the sale of food.
(iii) that has a dining room, a kitchen, and the number and kinds of employees necessary for the preparation, cooking, and serving of meals in order to satisfy the department that the space is intended for use as a full-service restaurant; and
(iv) that serves an evening dinner meal at least 4 days a week for at least 2 hours a day between the hours of 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. The provisions of subsection (6)(b) and this subsection (6)(a)(iv) do not apply to a restaurant for which a restaurant beer and wine license is in effect as of April 9, 2009, or to subsequent renewals of that license.
(b) The term does not mean a fast-food restaurant that, excluding any carry-out business, serves a majority of its food and drink in throw-away containers not reused in the same restaurant.
(7) (a) A restaurant beer and wine license may be transferred, on approval by the department, from the original applicant to a new owner of the restaurant only after 1 year of use by the original owner.
(b) A license issued under this section may be jointly owned, and the license may pass to the surviving joint tenant upon the death of the other tenant. However, the license may not be transferred to any other person or entity by operation of the laws of inheritance or succession or any other laws allowing the transfer of property upon the death of the owner in this state or in another state.
(c) An estate may, upon the sale of a restaurant that is property of the estate and with the approval of the department, transfer a restaurant beer and wine license to a new owner.
(8) (a) The department shall issue a restaurant beer and wine license to a qualified applicant:
(i) except as provided in subsection (8)(c), for a restaurant located in a quota area with a population of 5,000 persons or fewer, as the quota area population is determined in 16-4-105, if the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses issued in that quota area is equal to or less than 80% of the number of beer licenses that may be issued in that quota area pursuant to 16-4-105;
(ii) for a restaurant located in a quota area with a population of 5,001 to 20,000 persons, as the quota area population is determined in 16-4-105, if the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses issued in that quota area is equal to or less than 160% of the number of beer licenses that may be issued in that quota area pursuant to 16-4-105;
(iii) for a restaurant located in a quota area with a population of 20,001 to 60,000 persons, as the quota area population is determined in 16-4-105, if the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses issued in that quota area is equal to or less than 100% of the number of beer licenses that may be issued in that quota area pursuant to 16-4-105;
(iv) for a restaurant located in a quota area with a population of 60,001 persons or more, as the quota area population is determined in 16-4-105, if the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses issued in that quota area is equal to or less than 80% of the number of beer licenses that may be issued in that quota area pursuant to 16-4-105; and
(v) for a restaurant located in a quota area that is also a resort community, as defined in 7-6-1501, if the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses issued in the quota area that is also a resort community is equal to or less than 200% of the number of beer licenses that may be issued in that quota area pursuant to 16-4-105.
(b) In determining the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses that may be issued under this subsection (8) based on the percentage amounts described in subsections (8)(a)(i) through (8)(a)(v), the department shall round to the nearer whole number.
(c) If the department has issued the number of restaurant beer and wine licenses authorized for a quota area under subsection (8)(a)(i), there must be a one-time adjustment of four additional licenses for that quota area.
(d) If there are more applicants than licenses available in a quota area, then the license must be awarded by lottery as provided in subsection (9).
(9) (a) When a restaurant beer and wine license becomes available by the initial issuance of licenses under this section or as the result of an increase in the population in the quota area, the nonrenewal of a restaurant beer and wine license, or the lapse or revocation of a license by the department, then the department shall advertise the availability of the license in the quota area for which it is available. If there are more applicants than number of licenses available, the license must be awarded to an applicant by a lottery.
(b) A preference must be given to an applicant who does not yet have in any quota area a restaurant beer and wine license or a retail beer license and who operates a restaurant that is in the quota area described in subsection (8) in which the license has become available and that meets the qualifications of subsection (6) for at least 12 months prior to the filing of an application. An applicant with a preference must be awarded a license before any applicant without a preference.
(c) The department shall numerically rank all applicants in the lottery. Only the successful applicants will be required to submit a completed application and a one-time required fee. An applicant's ranking may not be sold or transferred to another person or entity. The preference and an applicant's ranking apply only to the intended license advertised by the department or to the number of licenses determined under subsection (8) when there are more applicants than licenses available. The applicant's qualifications for any other restaurant beer and wine license awarded by lottery must be determined at the time of the lottery.
(d) If a successful lottery applicant does not use a license within 1 year of notification by the department of license eligibility, the applicant shall forfeit the license. The department shall refund any fees paid except the application fee and offer the license to the next eligible ranked applicant in the lottery.
(10) Under a restaurant beer and wine license, beer and wine may not be sold for off-premises consumption.
(11) An application for a restaurant beer and wine license must be accompanied by a fee equal to 20% of the initial licensing fee. If the department does not make a decision either granting or denying the license within 4 months of receipt of a complete application, the department shall pay interest on the application fee at the rate of 1% a month until a license is issued or the application is denied. Interest may not accrue during any period that the processing of an application is delayed by reason of a protest filed pursuant to 16-4-203 or 16-4-207. If the department denies an application, the application fee, plus any interest, less a processing fee established by rule, must be refunded to the applicant. Upon the issuance of a license, the licensee shall pay the balance of the initial licensing fee. The amount of the initial licensing fee is determined according to the following schedule:
(a) $5,000 for restaurants with a stated seating capacity of 60 persons or less;
(b) $10,000 for restaurants with a stated seating capacity of 61 to 100 persons; or
(c) $20,000 for restaurants with a stated seating capacity of 101 persons or more.
(12) The annual fee for a restaurant beer and wine license is $400.
(13) If a restaurant licensed under this part increases the stated seating capacity of the licensed restaurant or if the department determines that a licensee has increased the stated seating capacity of the licensed restaurant, then the licensee shall pay to the department the difference between the fees paid at the time of filing the original application and issuance of a license and the applicable fees for the additional seating.
(14) The number of beer and wine licenses issued to restaurants with a stated seating capacity of 101 persons or more may not exceed 25% of the total licenses issued.
(15) Possession of a restaurant beer and wine license is not a qualification for licensure of any gaming or gambling activity. A gaming or gambling activity may not occur on the premises of a restaurant with a restaurant beer and wine license.
History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 465, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 324, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 27, Ch. 7, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 110, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 348, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 187, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 197, Ch. 49, L. 2015.
