Short answer: About 200 for restaurants and bars — the most per square mile among California cities — and three dozen for stores Liquor licenses are issued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). A recent check of ABC’s website showed 234 active retail licenses in West Hollywood. Of those, 197 were “on-sale” licenses typically issued to restaurants and bars. The other 37 were “off-sale” licenses for stores that sell alcohol.This report focuses on restaurant/bar-type licenses: on-sale beer/wine and general licenses for “eating places” and “public premises.”We’re reporting the numbers without making any judgments.

• How Much A Liquor License Cost In California
• How Much Is A Full Liquor License In California
• Liquor License California Cost

In one city, a large number of licenses could be a welcome sign of a thriving economy. In another city, it might be a warning sign of potential public safety issues.Number of licenses compared to other citiesABC counted the active liquor licenses by city and type as of June 2015. At that point, West Hollywood had 219 restaurant/bar-type licenses and 37 store licenses. We’re excluding other types of licenses used for catering, events, mini-bars, etc.West Hollywood ranked 24th in the number of restaurant/bar-type licenses.

The 23 cities with more licenses were all larger cities. Los Angeles was first and Santa Monica was 12th.

Santa Ana (the county seat of Orange County) was just above West Hollywood. Palm Springs was just below.Licenses per capitaOne way of comparing the number of liquor licenses among cities is per capita. West Hollywood had 61 restaurant/bar-type liquor licenses for every 10,000 residents. That was roughly 50% more than Beverly Hills (42) and twice the level in Santa Monica (29) and Culver City (28). Linguistics graduate programs. It was four times higher than Burbank (16) and six times Los Angeles and Glendale (9).

Notes: The ABC database lists some neighborhoods separate from their cities. We combined them. We counted ABC license types 41, 42, 47, and 48, as of June 30, 2015. Population estimates are from six months later. Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, License Summary Counts; California Department of Finance population estimates; our analysis.Statewide, West Hollywood was in the 96th percentile. Beverly Hills was in the 91st percentile. Santa Monica and Culver City were in the 84th.

Los Angeles was in the 39th.Many of the cities with more restaurant/bar-type liquor licenses per capita are vacation destinations. Examples include Carmel, Big Bear, Avalon, Solvang, and Mammoth. We assume they have proportionately more visitors, who drink but aren’t included in the calculation.Licenses per square mileWest Hollywood had 116 restaurant/bar-type licenses per square mile in 2015. That’s more than any other city in California.

It’s almost twice as many as the next city, Carmel.For context, West Hollywood is the 53rd smallest city in California. It also has the fourth highest population density (see our ).West Hollywood shares the top of the list with a number of oceanside (or bayside) communities: Carmel (#2), Hermosa Beach (#3), Santa Monica (#5), Sausalito (#6), Manhattan Beach (#13), and Redondo Beach (#14). We assume they have more bars and restaurants to serve a large number of visitors. Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, License Summary Counts for June 30, 2015; Wikipedia, List of Cities and Towns in California, accessed May 4, 2016; our analysis.In addition to Santa Monica, two other nearby cities were also in the top 20: Beverly Hills and Culver City.

Santa Monica had 33 restaurant/bar-type licenses per square mile, which put it in the 99th percentile. Beverly Hills had 26 — 20% fewer per square mile than Santa Monica — which still put it in the 98th percentile.

Culver City had 22 and was in the 97th percentile.By comparison, Los Angeles had only eight per square mile, which was still in the 76th percentile. Burbank had 10 and Glendale had six.Numbers for 476 California citiesThe table below shows our estimates for restaurant/bar-type liquor licenses in 476 California cities in June 2015. Use the scrollbar on the right to move through the list.

Click on a column heading to sort the table using that column. Click again to sort the other direction. Notes: Percentile defined here as the percentage of cities with a value up to or equal to a given city’s.

Both the value and the percentile were rounded to the nearest whole number for presentation purposes. A few cities not listed by ABC were assumed to have no licenses. Source: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, License Summary Counts; California Department of Finance population estimates for January 1, 2016; Wikipedia, List of Cities and Towns in California, accessed May 4, 2016; our analysis.

What you will read in this article you will probably not find in any manual or set of instructions provided by the ABC. What I write about in this article is about the many things I have learned the hard way over 20 years of working as a restaurant broker with the ABC to transfer beer and wine and full liquor licenses.Be very accurate: I just can't stress this enough. The ABC will kick back an application that has a single letter wrong in a person's name.

If the street address has the wrong suite number or zip code, it could be kicked back. Notice I said could.

The problem is, the ABC checks these things manually. That means that the investigating officer will check it, then the supervisor will check it, and finally, it will be checked just before issue. It is possible that they will not find the error. The problem is, if you get something wrong, it may not be found immediately, and you may get a notice on the last day just before issue, after a 60 day processing time, telling you that a name or address is wrong and you need to republish which will delay you 10 more days. This has happened to me more than once.Keep information the same from the previous license: The first thing the escrow company I use does when filling out the transfer information is make a copy of the existing license which can be found on line. They use the information exactly as it is printed.

If the transfer information (name, title, address, of transferor) is different on the application, it can cause problems with ABC.Reveal everything: There is a question on the application regarding past convictions. It is very important that you fill this section out completely and accurately. Don't assume that just because something happened a long time ago, it will not be known to the investigator. I once had a client who had two DUI's and was concerned that he might not be approved for a license. I strongly recommended that he reveal both DUI's even though one happened many years ago. He did reveal them, but when his license did not transfer in a timely manner, we inquired and were told that his background check had not been approved yet.

We were sure that it was because of the DUI's, but it wasn't. The applicant had neglected to reveal an incident that happened when he was a teenager because he thought it was so long ago it didn't matter.

How Much A Liquor License Cost In California

It turned out, that the DUI's were not a problem because he had revealed them, the problem was the teenage problem because he failed to put that on his application. This delayed the transfer by four months. In the end, the transfer went through but not until he wrote a letter of explanation as to why he did not but it on his application and went through a formal interview with the investigator.Check the special conditions: Licenses have special conditions. These can be found on line but are not printed on the face of the license. This is especially important in the San Francisco city because certain streets or districts have special restrictions that are carried on the license. Restrictions can be for hours of operation, outside seating, or in one case, the use of a bar to serve alcohol. I had one experience with a transfer that did not allow the use of a bar to serve alcohol.

We didn't know this until the ABC did their field investigation and discovered that the restaurant was using a bar to serve alcohol which was not allowed according to the license. Over the years, the restaurant had turned a small counter into a food counter, which morphed into a food and bar counter- then expanded into a full bar with shelves for bottles and wine glasses.

I had never seen a restriction like this and the owners couldn't believe it either because they had been using the bar this way for many years and so had the previous owner. Nevertheless, the ABC was insistent that alcohol could not be served at the bar (only at the tables) and the deal fell through!ABC issued licenses carry transfer restrictions: I learned the hard way that licenses that are issued by the ABC in a lottery can't be transferred for five years from issue. These licenses are usually sold below market and are sought after by restaurateurs but they do carry this restriction.

I was selling a restaurant that wasn't doing well after one year in business and the seller and I discovered that his license could not be transferred for another 4 years- after I had a signed contract.Include the patio: If you are planning to serve alcohol on an outdoor patio, make sure you include it in your drawing and make sure you provide a barrier around the seating to keep out the general public.Record in the right county: I recently had a licensee record the 226 from with the county recorder in the wrong county. It was not caught until the very last day before it was scheduled to be issued.

It had passed the investigator and her supervisor and it cost us a 10 day delay.Be nice and follow up: The ABC people are very busy. They handle a lot of paper work and things can get delayed. It is best to follow up on a regular basis with the investigator to make sure they have everything they need. Often they will wait quite a while before notifying the applicant if they need something which delays the process. I know this is common sense, but being pushy and complaining about delays or mistakes will not usually help you. I have gotten favors and special treatment for hardship cases when I have been able to establish a rapport with the investigating officer.Special help: Most people can get through the process and don't have a problem filling out the application. The ABC will help you if you have questions.

I mentioned how important it is to get everything perfect so as to not delay the process. There are people who specialize in helping people with the ABC process. They hire themselves out as expediters and some of them are retired ABC employees so they know the ropes and for some people they are lifesavers.Categories:,. Helpful Resources To Assist In Selling And Buying California BusinessesBusiness Team, San Jose (Campbell) located in the Pruneyard Towers at Bascom and Hamilton. Established in 1981 Business Team with over 6600 sales to date has 1000 business listings to choose from, paid Google advertising. We offer highly trained and experienced professionals.Jeff is a leader in business brokering in the North Bay.

Since joining Santa Rosa Business And Commercial in 1999 he has assisted Buyers and Sellers in over 200 business sales and acquisitions. Jeff provides other services for his clients as well. Reach Jeff and his team at 707-888-4972.Assistance in the SF Bay Area & Valley. Contact me about buying or selling a restaurant, liquor store, gas stations, markets, and c-store businesses.

If you are looking to buy or sell a SF Bay Area, Central Valley liquor store, market, c-store, restaurant, etc phone me direct at 510-417-9429 Cell.Founder & President Of BizBen.com (since 1994) & BizBenNetwork.com. I am the Lead Facilitator for the ProSell & ProBuy Programs on both websites. I consult daily with buyers, sellers, and intermediaries daily about buying and selling businesses. Call 925-785-3118.If you are interested buying or selling a gas station, liquor store feel free to phone me for a consultation. My vast experience & specialization in gas stations & liquor stores helps me in serving my clients with full confidence, trust & sincerity. Serving Central Valley, SF Bay Area. 559-259-4247.Liquor license brokerage and consulting services.

We provide: Alcohol License Transfers Application Consulting & Processing, Liquor License Purchases & Sales, City Zoning Permits & Land Use Entitlements, Public Convenience or Necessity Findings and Letters. Phone Mike Brewer direct at 800-437-1100.Experienced attorney, & business broker. I & my EvergreenGold team offer owners sound advice & expertise to build business value & achieve profitable sales. Call me today for a FREE business evaluation & SWOT analysis for your business. Call 650-600-3751 or 650-866-5393 Text.Assisting both sellers and buyers of businesses - dealing mainly with Liquor Stores, Grocery Markets, Gas Stations, Smoke Shops, Restaurant Related, Retail Related, Service Related. Serving SF Bay Area, North Bay, Sacramento area.

Call Harry Sidhu, CBB for assistance at 510-366-6130.Related Articles, Events, Blog Posts, Discussions, Videos, InterviewsJeff Back (925-736-8200), a SF Bay Area broker specialist who specializes in selling restaurants discusses what he looks for when sizing up a potential restaurant for sale. Do the restaurants you're thinking of purchasing have good Karma? See Jeff's insights into this topic on restaurant karma.Jim Saxton - 20 years experience of local governmental requirements, such as Police Departments, Zoning / Planning Departments, ABC District Offices, my company Liquor Licenses of SF Bay Area is very qualified to resolve all of your concerns during the liquor license transfer process. 925-787-0770.This informative 40 minute interview/webinar about buying & selling restaurants in San Francisco with restaurant broker specialist Cheryl Maloney is a real eye opener for restaurant buyers and sellers. Cheryl gives great advice to both buyers and sellers from her years of experience in the industry.Buying a restaurant (no matter what type) can have many pitfalls, and potential restaurant buyers should know how to avoid getting burned! Several restaurant intermediaries and advisors weigh in on this BizBen Discussion about the best way to find, purchase and run a restaurant successfully!What you will read in this BizBen blog post you will probably not find in any manual or set of instructions provided by the ABC (liquor licenses in California).

How Much Is A Full Liquor License In California

Liquor License California Cost

This blog post by Jeff Back (SF Bay Area Restaurant Broker Specialist) at 925-736-8200 discusses this topic of liquor licenses in detail.In this Discussion, Peter Siegel MBA (Business Purchase Financing Advisor at 925-785-3118) discusses financing of purchasing a small to mid-sized restaurant business (with or without real estate). When it comes to financing a restaurant, potential restaurant buyers have many options to choose from.People always need to eat; there should be plenty of business. Some restaurant buyers think there is prestige to owning a popular eating establishment.

But it isn't an easy business purchase. Peter Siegel, MBA (BizBen Founder, ProBuy & ProSell Program Director at 925-785-3118) reviews this topic.Business purchase financing advisor Peter Siegel, MBA shares his views on SBA loan financing. He explains the nuances of the SBA loan process when considering business purchase financing or getting pre-qualified. Reach Peter Siegel, MBA direct at 925-785-3118 regarding SBA & Non SBA Loan Financing.