A liquor license is needed and can be a powerful asset that helps you to grow your business. Find out when you need a Florida liquor license, and how you can get one with the help of Liquor License Outlet.
If you’re looking to serve liquor at your place of business, you’re going to need to obtain a liquor license. Exactly when you obtain that license though is up to you. Here’s how to know when to buy that license, and how you should go about it.
When A Liquor License Is Needed
It’s quite simple to know when you need to obtain a Florida 4Cop liquor license. If you’re looking to sell beer or wine on your premises, then you’re going to need to obtain a license. If the alcohol is free on your premises, then it’s not going to be covered by a license. For example, if you’re giving out samples of a drink, then you won’t need the license. If the drink is given free with the purchase of a meal, then you are selling the alcohol in a roundabout manner, so you will need the license.
In short, if you want to sell alcoholic beverages on your site, then you will need a license to do so.
Get Your Florida Liquor License
There are a few other things you can keep in mind as you determine whether a license is right for your business needs. Consider the advantages that a license could offer:
If you’re in the restaurant industry, customers will expect to be able to order liquor, wine, and beer. A Florida liquor license will allow you to meet this expectation.
If your competitors offer liquor for sale, you’ll need to do the same to remain relevant in your niche.
Liquor can help to increase sales of your regular menu items. Many businesses find that food and wine pairing suggestions are beneficial for customers and the restaurant’s bottom line.
Liquor is a high-margin product. If your business isn’t making a lot of profit on food items, then beer, wine, and spirits could help to make up the difference. The average net profit margin per bottle of wine is between 30 and 50 percent (usually in the higher range for restaurants).
With a liquor license, you could grow your business and become a formidable competitor in your local market.
How To Obtain A Liquor License
Now you know that a liquor license is needed, then you’ll have to find out how to obtain one. In Florida, there are two ways of doing this.
Lottery: Every year, the state of Florida arranges a lottery for everyone who wishes to obtain a Florida 4Cop License for their business. You can enter for a set price, and you’ll need to complete paperwork to be able to gain a place in the lottery. For example, you’ll need to disclose the social security numbers of anyone you want to include on the license, as well as a zoning approval document.
Be aware that to be eligible for a license, you must have a clean criminal record.
The payment you’ll need to make varies from county to county, so ensure you know how much you’ll be expected to pay before you apply.
If you are successful in the lottery, you’ll be able to obtain your license and begin selling alcoholic drinks on your property.
Buy an existing license: There are some cases where a business owner will no longer require their liquor license. They may be shutting down their business or discontinuing alcoholic drinks, and so they no longer need them. Some sellers also buy licenses especially to sell to those who want them outside of the application period for the lottery.
If you want to buy a license directly, rather than entering the lottery and hoping you’re drawn, then you can go down this route. You can buy directly from the seller, or you can buy it through a dealer. Either way, you can get the license you need without having to wait.
Why A Lottery
In Florida, why do you need to enter a lottery to obtain a 4Cop license? Why not just sell them to those who want a license?
The lottery system has been put in place because there is a set limit on how many licenses can be in effect in Florida at any one time. The number of licenses available increases by one, for every extra 7,500 people living in the state. Thanks to this limitation, the lottery is the best way of distributing licenses throughout the state.
Anyone can enter the lottery, but this isn’t always the best path for a business to take. Some entrepreneurs wait for years before getting lucky in the lottery. Others simply never win. This doesn’t mean that business plans have to go on hold. These very same quota licenses that are won in the lottery are the same ones that end up on the resale market.
How Should You Buy Your License?
Is one method better than the other for buying your license? The lottery is the most ‘official’ way, and you’ll be able to start selling alcohol on your premises as soon as you obtain it.
However, it’s not great if you want to get started right away. If you don’t win the lottery, you’ll have to wait a whole year to be able to enter again.
If you want your license now, the best thing to do is to use a service like ours here at Liquor License Outlet, where we can put you in touch with sellers looking to sell their licenses right now. There are a lot of advantages to buying it this way. You can get started by talking to Liquor License Outlet today.
In addition to giving you the option to sell beer, wine, and spirits at your place of business, a license will also become a powerful asset. Due to the scarcity of quota licenses, they are usually sold at a premium. Think of your license as a long-term investment. You can use it for as long as your business needs require it, and, once your situation changes, you can sell it for a tidy profit. Even if you finance your liquor license, you will be able to generate serious returns through the natural course of your business and resale the license in the distant future.
You’ll need to obtain a liquor license as soon as you want to sell alcohol at your place of business. You won’t be able to without one, so look into buying one today. Contact us today for more information.