LA Makes It Much Easier for Restaurants to Get a Permit to Sell Alcohol
https://la.eater.com/2020/4/15/21222626/los-angeles-alcohol-liquor-license-new-process-beer-wine-cocktails
The City of Los Angeles will streamline and simplify the process for obtaining an alcohol license called the Restaurant Beverage Program in coming days for sit-down restaurants in an effort to help owners stay afloat amid the current coronavirus pandemic. This means struggling restaurants will have a way to make more money from alcoholic beverages, which typically have higher profit margins, in an already challenging time for the industry. And diners will have more options among local restaurants for beer, wine, and hard liquor.
In order to serve alcohol in Los Angeles, an operator needs to have a city Conditional Use Permit for alcoholic beverages (typically referred to as a CUB) purchased from the city as well as a California state Alcohol Beverage Control license. Before this new framework, the process was so difficult that restaurant operators would have to often hire specialists or lawyers to obtain permits, adding to costs and further straining small businesses.
The new program, which was initially proposed in early 2019, will provide an easy-to-navigate process to gain a permit within a matter of weeks instead of customary months-long time frame once it becomes implemented. And while a CUB could run cost upwards of $13,000 under the old system, it will now cost just $4,000. This new framework would replace the current CUB process, and would even allow for restaurants to sell alcohol for off-premises consumption.
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