LIQUOR

There are 7 classes of liquor licences, and you must hold at least one to serve any type of alcoholic beverage, including beer and wine.  

Most restaurants will want information about Food Primary licences, to enable them to serve liquor with food.

A Food Primary licence allows a restaurant to:

• Serve distilled liquor beer and wine with food 
• Serve distilled liquor beer and wine when no food is ordered. The kitchen must be open, however and a full menu must be offered.  
• Have a small lounge area separate from the dining room  (The restaurant must have more than 50 seats to be allowed a lounge) 
• Serve liquor when children are present, as long as no liquor is served to children

Some types of food service operations are not eligible for a food-primary licence, these include:

• Restaurants in mall food fairs
• Restaurants specializing in take out and/or delivery; where seating is for customers waiting for orders. Offering take out and delivery does not mean a restaurant is not able to obtain a liquor licence, however, the restaurant must offer full service, and seating for customers who dine in
• Stand-alone banquet rooms without fully equipped kitchens
• Mobile food stalls like hot-dog vendors and lunch wagons

The main purpose of a business with a Food Primary licence must be to serve food.  They may serve drinks to customers who are not eating food, but the kitchen must be open and a full range of menu items must be available.  

The holder of a food primary licence may have a small lounge area to serve drinks, but only if they have a restaurant that seats more than 50 people.  However, they cannot advertise their establishment as a place to come for alcoholic drinks.  The emphasis must be on food.  

The name of the restaurant cannot emphasize drinks.  It could not be called Joe's Bar and Steak house.  However, if the use of the word 'bar' describes a style of food service such as salad bar, oyster bar or sushi bar, that would be acceptable.

The name you choose for your restaurant must be approved by Liquor Licensing.  Don't have signs made until you are certain the name has been approved.

The Liquor Licensing Branch publishes a Guide for Food Primary Licence Holders.