Metro Creative Connection
Coweta County recently made changes that allow special events venues and neighborhood agribusiness venues the ability to get their own alcohol pouring license. Before the change, alcohol could only be provided through a licensed caterer.
Having an event with alcohol service will become simpler with changes to Coweta County’s alcohol regulations.
Events venues that operate with a special use permit are now eligible to get their own alcohol licenses. Neighborhood agribusiness facilities will also be able to apply for licenses.
Venues must go through the same licensing procedure as any other facility with an alcohol license. They’ll also still have to meet the requirement that at least 55 percent of sales come from food – not alcohol. For venues, catered food and nonalcoholic beverages can count towards that total.
Under previous rules, alcohol could only be provided by a licensed caterer – either a food caterer that has a license to cater alcohol, or an alcohol caterer. Alcohol catering services are extremely limited, according to Business License Associate Joy Thompson.
And many local catering companies don’t have the alcohol license.
Thompson said she has gotten calls from venues over the years who were interested in having their own license.
Lining up an alcohol caterer for an event has a lot of moving parts, Thompson said. If the catering company you wanted doesn’t have a license – or is based in a county that doesn’t grant alcoholic licenses to caterers – a separate beverage caterer would have to be hired.
“From a venue standpoint, it’s a great idea,” said John Stucky of Roanoke Farms.” It allows venues the freedom to choose to handle their own alcohol if they want to.”
Stucky said he thinks the change is long overdue.
Hank Lane of the Venue at Murphy Lane was one of the people who reached out to the county about the change.
There’s only one local alcohol catering company, Lane said. Many of the food providers don’t have the alcohol license. Lane said his biggest concern was what if the local beverage caterer decided to close down.
Allowing venues to provide alcohol themselves gives the customer more options, Lane said, and also streamlines things.
Planning a wedding or event already requires working with a lot of vendors, and having the venue provide the alcohol can take something off that to-do list.
Lane said they are looking forward to getting their license. Thompson and Commissioner Tim Lassetter have been very helpful, he said.
It’s not anything they’ve ever done, so it will be a learning experience, getting lined up with a wholesaler and learning how to deliver, store and inventory the alcohol properly, and hiring bartenders. “Joy said she’ll help us figure that out – we’re glad for her,” Lane said.
