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Alcohol License?

post #1 of 14
6/8/08 at 8:04am
Thread Starter 
Im not really sure where to put this topic/subject but I wanted to get an idea of how much an Alcohol License would cost in NJ or NY? I have NO idea and just would like to know how to go about getting one and how much its going to set me back. I know itll pay itself off for sure.

Thanks guys!
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post #2 of 14
6/8/08 at 10:06am
You will need to contact the alcoholic beverage board of your state. Every state has different regulations, and usually there are many different types of licenses. For example, my license covers beer and wine, but only if 50% of my income comes from food.

Full liquor licenses can be extremely expensive, and are issued in small numbers, or auctioned. The costs of the license are only part of the equation- in addition, your insurance skyrockets. Google the state agency and call 'em. They will have the answers you are looking for.
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post #3 of 14
6/8/08 at 2:43pm
i know a lot of restaurant owners who have shied away from liquor licenses because of the cost and regulations (like posted above), but keep in mind you'll be selling 6-10 dollar drinks and if you have the customer base, you'll make a killing.
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post #4 of 14
6/9/08 at 12:24pm
it's a little more tricky that that. well in NJ it is.......


I'm not a professional chef, but have had bars in my family for years....some places you just simply can't "get" a liquor license...for instance, some towns only issue a certain number of them and make any more VERY difficult to get. Whereas in South Amboy, NJ....I think the post office has a liquor license. Same goes for gas stations...I think it's plainsboro, nj (or certainly near it) doesn't even have a gas station.

I remember working in a quickie mart my first job, and the owner was trying to get a license to sell liquor and couldn't because the club across the street served liquor. The club wasn't even open, hasn't been for 10 years, but they kept the license, almost as an "investment"

Personally, in NJ, for true foodies, unless you are going all out with an extensive wine list, sommelier, etc. such as say...Nicolas in Red Bank, then us NJ foodies would rather a BYOB.

Most people get their licenses (in NJ) by simply purchasing someone else's from a past restaurant space/place.

Unless you have friends in High Places (or very low ones)
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post #5 of 14
11/4/08 at 7:11pm
Is the alcohol license which is easy or free to get will be the alcohol problems for general society especially for Muslims who don't like it?
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post #6 of 14
11/4/08 at 8:19pm
As for the cost of your liquor license, can't really say. It can vary greatly by community. It may be a few hundred dollars in one town and a few thousand dollars the next town over. A lot depends on what type and how many the community will allow.
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post #7 of 14
11/5/08 at 7:09am
As has been stated ,there are different kinds of liquor licenses
Example in NY. there are RL..Restaurant...CTR...Catering.. Individual banquet room lic. off premise CTR.catering By the day lic. Hotel license.
All are different each has a different cost.
The way we used to figure a RL full service license was New Years Eve revenue paid for the license for the year.. Insurance greatly increases with license. The State liquor authority also wants to know where the money came from to open the premise to be licensed , so as to keep organized crime out of it . It took me 8 to 10 weeks to get license,others shorter others longer. Its a crap shoot.:smoking::cool:
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post #8 of 14
11/5/08 at 8:57am
In TN where I owned my 1st restaurant a B,W,L liscence wasnt so expensive, $1500 it was the insurance you had to carry, you needed to bonded up to $1million and had to be able to put up the money for the bond in cash. In Fl they hold a lottery every year and if you arent chosen you have to buy one from someone that holds one which could cost up to $150K depending upon where you are. In Pa it is based on population and type of liscence you want.
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post #9 of 14
11/11/08 at 7:48am
Ya i have been asking this excact same question forever lol thanks for the info!
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post #10 of 14
11/11/08 at 12:19pm
Thanks that helps a ton
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post #11 of 14
11/11/08 at 5:44pm

Who cares if Muslims don't like it? This is America where intolerance not cool like most of the western world. Liquor liscences are neither easy or free to get BTY. Don't impose yourself on me please.
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post #12 of 14
11/19/08 at 12:03am
why should i care what Muslims and Mormons do if they don't like to drink then don't order it, move on. if u don't eat pork then don't order it.

i was working at a pizza place and we had a Muslim family come in and they didn't want anything with pork on the pizza but also any one who has touched pork cant make there food, to bad it was an open kitchen the costumer was sitting there watching them make it. we had some one wash there hands and then make it for them but when he saw the ground beef was next to the sausage they almost had a fit. if u want to tell me how to make your food make it your self and go home, im happy or make a no pork pizza just don't hang over my shoulder when im doing it and glare at every one that is eating pork and drinking(it was a bar too)
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post #13 of 14
11/19/08 at 5:31am
YOU ARE RUNNING A PIZZERIA, NOT A MOSQUE :lol:
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post #14 of 14
11/19/08 at 6:16am
Like said before, there are different kinds. I had a restaurant in Queens with an On-premise/wine and beer licence that excluded spirits. This was around $850 bucks plus alot of lawyer and other bs fees. You can do the paperwork yourself and save the lawyer fees, but it is a big mountain to climb. The full spirits licence here is much more expensive than that, with even more background checks etc...NJ is another story and from what I've heard much more difficult to obtain. We got our licence by about 10 feet, because there can only be a certain amount per 500 feet where we are in Queens. It's a straightfoward enough process, just dont have any felonies on your record and have about $2000 to dish out and a year to wait. ;)
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