§ 32B-6-203. Commission's power to issue full-service restaurant license.

(1) Before a person may store, sell, offer for sale, furnish, or allow the consumption of an alcoholic product on its premises as a full-service restaurant, the person shall first obtain a full-service restaurant license from the commission in accordance with this part.

(2) The commission may issue a full-service restaurant license to establish full-service restaurant licensed premises at places and in numbers the commission considers proper for the storage, sale, offer for sale, furnishing, and consumption of an alcoholic product on premises operated as a full-service restaurant.

(3) Subject to Section 32B-1-201:

(a) The commission may not issue a total number of full-service restaurant licenses that at any time exceeds the number determined by dividing the population of the state by 4,534.

(b) The commission may issue a seasonal full-service restaurant license in accordance with Section 32B-5-206.

(c)

(i) If the location, design, and construction of a hotel may require more than one full-service restaurant sales location within the hotel to serve the public convenience, the commission may authorize the sale, offer for sale, or furnishing of an alcoholic product at as many as three full-service restaurant locations within the hotel under one full-service restaurant license if:

(A) the hotel has a minimum of 150 guest rooms; and

(B) the locations under the full-service restaurant license are:

(I) within the same hotel; and

(II) on premises that are managed or operated, and owned or leased, by the full-service restaurant licensee.

(ii) A facility other than a hotel shall have a separate full-service restaurant license for each full-service restaurant where an alcoholic product is sold, offered for sale, or furnished.

(4)

(a) Except as provided in Subsection (4)(b), the commission may not issue a full-service restaurant license for premises that do not meet the proximity requirements of Section 32B-1-202.

(b) With respect to the premises of a full-service restaurant license issued by the commission that undergoes a change of ownership, the commission shall waive or vary the proximity requirements of Subsection 32B-1-202(2) in considering whether to issue a full-service restaurant license to the new owner of the premises if:

(i) when a full-service restaurant license was issued to a previous owner, the premises met the proximity requirements of Subsection 32B-1-202(2);

(ii) the premises has had a full-service restaurant license at all times since the full-service restaurant license described in Subsection (4)(b)(i) was issued without a variance; and

(iii) the community location was located within the proximity requirements of Subsection 32B-1-202(2) after the day on which the full-service restaurant license described in Subsection (4)(b)(i) was issued.

Amended by Chapter 1, 2012 Special Session 4