ST. LOUIS — St. Louis bar owners said getting a liquor license is cumbersome.
"Cumbersome? That's an understatement," Christina Robles co-owner of Padrinos Mexican Restaurant on South Grand Boulevard said.
But a new Board of Aldermen bill could make it easier to pour drinks after Board Bill 60 was approved on Friday.
The bill allows restaurants and bars to apply for a 90-day temporary liquor license rather than go through the lengthy process of collecting signatures. Instead, restaurants and bars would go through public city hearings and approval from the excise commissioner, altogether avoiding the "cumbersome" process Robles faced in 2021.
Local restaurant and bar owners shared that BB 60 will help new restaurants in St. Louis turn a profit faster.
"To get people to open their doors right when their liquor license should be ready, that's crucial," Robles said.
When the temporary license expires after 90 days, owners can get a full license if they are in good standing.
St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones said the passage of the bill "will make our city more vibrant and welcoming for restaurants that want to open up."
"If you're a business owner or entrepreneur in general, but you might be from a minority community where you don't have an influx of cash—if you're operating a restaurant, a lot of your profits and revenue come from your ability to sell liquor," said 7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier. "It is not food sales alone that allow you to keep your doors open."
The bill passed the Board of Aldermen by a vote of 9-3.
Alderwoman Cara Spencer of St. Louis' 8th Ward voted no, pointing to the city's new hiring freeze to cut down on labor costs.
"Are we really going to allow anybody to come in and come get a liquor license with no neighborhood involvement or input whatsoever?" Spencer asked. "I am not convinced that we are going to be able to deal with problematic liquor licensing because frankly we haven't been able to do it at all."
The bill also allows for what aldermen are calling a "cool-down period" to help with restaurant and bar violence by suspending a restaurant or bar's liquor license for 48-72 hours if there are incidents that may require such action.
The mayor's office also emphasized that any establishment serving alcohol without a license will be ineligible to apply again for three years.
The bill becomes law once Jones signs it, potentially this year.