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We’re going to take a break from our technical series on restaurant permits (by the way follow our hashtag #PArestaurantpermits) for a segment Bill Nye the Science Guy would call “Did You Know?” about restaurant concepts. Queue up Bill’s theme song. We are going to list some interesting, novel, and downright fun facts about restaurants and restaurant permits especially when it comes to serving liquor. So, without further adieu….

1. To serve liquor or alcohol in your restaurant concept in the State of California your concept must have two restrooms, one for each sex. Barring new bathroom legislation, that is…
2. If you close your business for more than 6 months there is a chance your liquor license may not be good anymore, depending on the license type your establishment has.
3. Specialty beer and craft IPA’s, while trending, cannot be served in California until the brand has been officially registered with the state. In other words, to be the first to serve a specialty beer you must first register it and run the risk of other businesses catching wind….
4. NASCAR began with drivers speeding away from the taxmen of the prohibition to deliver alcohol to speakeasies.
5. All surfaces in a kitchen, including the ceiling, must be made of a smooth and easily cleaned material.
6. Patio sizes for restaurants, in most regions, cannot exceed 25% of square footage of the interior of the restaurant.
7. Depending on your concept, it is best to put the handicap parking spaces near the entrance of your restaurant so as to keep headlights from flooding the windows.
8. In 2015, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson’s political opponent Grace Yoo used a liquor license dispute of a Koreatown karaoke club as part of her platform. While making news, Wesson was ultimately re-elected for his fourth and final term. However, the nightclub lost its liquor license through the City Attorney’s office.
9. To build a restaurant on the beach not only will you need to meet with the Coastal Commission, but an impact study will be required to ensure local plant and wildlife are unaffected.
10. When applying for a restaurant permits through the health department be careful to visit environmental health as going to the county health department will lead you to a different place entirely.
11. ABC in CA will deny a liquor permit if you are within 600 feet of a school, church or hospital or if you are within 100 feet of a residence unless you can prove the proposed premises will not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of property by residence and ABC can place any limitations on the liquor permit that they deem necessary.
12. After Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads during the French Revolution, the French aristocracy crumbled and chefs, once employed by noble households, found themselves out of a job. So many of these displaced workers decided to open up their own establishments and offer prix fixe meals to the masses. Eventually, the French style of dining-out spread to Great Britain and across the Atlantic to the United States.

Hope you enjoyed our list of restaurant concept imponderables, and maybe they’ll prove fun to use at your next cocktail hour or family dinner. More to the point, we hope these facts serve as a reminder that when looking to start the permitting stage of your project you need a firm that already knows these facts. Relishes in these facts, and finally will work these facts to your advantage.

About Us: Permit Advisors Inc is a nationwide permit expediting, entitlement, and consulting firm based out of Beverly Hills, CA. We have established relationships with municipalities nation-wide and implement time as well as cost-saving strategies to efficiently complete projects. We provide a project management team to ensure every aspect of the project is given specific attention while maintaining open communication between the jurisdiction, consultants, and our clients. We serve retailers, architects, landlords, tenant coordinators, contractors, and franchisees nationwide in the hotel, retail, restaurant, mixed-use, multifamily, entertainment, grocery, and logistical plant development industries. Contact us today for a consultation at www.permitadvisors.com.