Crisis Mode: Utah bar and restaurant owners urge lawmakers to update liquor licensing laws.

Utah’s liquor laws are “outdated and unfair,” according to a group of two dozen bar and restaurant owners who signed an open letter on Wednesday, calling on state lawmakers to update licensing rules for businesses that serve alcohol.

The letter writers—which include representatives of Wasatch Brewery, Shades Brewing, Squatters Craft Beer, the Edison Alley Group, the Bourbon Group and several others—describe investing their time, money and entrepreneurial spirit into the dream of owning a business, only to see those dreams impeded, if not thwarted outright, by laws restricting the availability of liquor licenses.

“We are Utah business owners in crisis,” the letter states. “We are Utahns, we are voters, and we need your help.”

In Utah, the amount of available bar licenses is strictly limited and based on population. And while additional “restaurant” licenses are available and allow for the sale of some alcoholic products, those establishments are subject to additional rules around the design of their serving spaces and the ratio of food-to-alcohol sales.

Read more: https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/crisis-mode/Content?oid=17809889