This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Soon it may be harder to get a drink in Utah.
Despite record profits, lawmakers have ordered the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to slash its budget by $2.2 million. If the governor approves the reduction, liquor-control commissioners say they would be forced to close stores and lay off workers.
At least nine state stores along the Wasatch Front and in Park City likely would be closed and more than 150 liquor store workers laid off. Hours could be drastically reduced at the remaining liquor stores, which just two years ago were open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Soon, store hours are likely to be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or noon to 8 p.m.
Lawmakers also approved converting 40 beer bar licenses into restaurant permits. But developers say the restaurant permits would be snatched up quickly, again creating a long wait for licenses to become available by population increases or by establishments going out of business.
To ease demand, legislators would allow eateries to sell their liquor permits on the open market. But that provision of SB314 would not take effect until July 2012, giving time for opponents to lobby for concessions. Opponents say liquor permits in other states sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, making it nearly impossible for small, local entrepreneurs to open a restaurant.
Dawn House