JACKSON HOLE, WYO – On Tuesday, a total of 14 Jackson dining establishments made their pitch for three town bar & grill liquor licenses. The licenses became available after new legislation went into effect July 1, allowing for more such licenses per population.
A bar & grill liquor license is considered more flexible than a restaurant liquor license. It is also more expensive and subject to limitation based on population. It allows for a primary bar seating area (think Applebees) where drinks may be prepared in front of customers. It is more flexible on ordering and advertising alcohol-related items and events. A bar & grill license holder must also maintain a minimum 60-40, food-alcohol sales split over the course of a year.
Restaurant liquor licenses are designed to allow restaurants to serve beer and wine and other alcoholic drinks with food. Alcohol sales must cease when the kitchen closes. There is a minimum 60-40, food-alcohol split that must be maintained by restaurant to show it is not merely acting as a bar. Restaurant liquor license holders must prepare drinks in a “dispensing” room out of sight of customers. Restaurant liquor licenses holders cannot advertise bar type activities like $2 drafts for the Super Bowl or “live music” Friday night. Beginning at the end of this month, town municipal code goes into effect regulating and naming even the five types of food acceptable under a restaurant liquor license.
Town councilors did not make a decision, but listened to 5-10 minute presentations from each applicant. A few major revelations came out of the two hour-plus meeting, including news of the demise of a popular downtown bar and grill and the rebirth of an old sushi joint.
Buckrail was there and offers the following recap.
Big Hole BBQ (represented by Scott Smith)
The eatery with a twin sister in Victor since 2012 opened a Jackson location almost a year ago. It’s owned by Lindsey Jacob (80%) and Maya Crothers (20%). Big Hole currently hold a restaurant liquor license.
Smith explained a bar & grill would allow the restaurant to open up more seating—24 seats—thus hire more people. “It would also allow us to provide better service, especially when it’s crowded,” Smith said.
Café Genevieve (represented by Fred Peightal)
“We are looking to become more of a bar,” Peightal told the council, explaining his vision for musicians on the outdoor deck. They do $135k a year in alcohol sales and Peightal said he believed Genevieve could boost that by about 10% with bar and grill license. Peightal also referenced the historical value of the building.
Café Genevieve is owned by Peightal (50%) and Joshua Governale (50%). The café employs 80 in the summer and about 50 during the winter. Café Genevieve currently holds a restaurant liquor license.
Hand Fire Pizza (represented by Martin Brass)
The long-awaited reopening of the historic Teton Theatre will have to wait until fall. Brass said he hopes to have the pizzeria up and running by September 15. He pointed to his 10-year-old operation in Maui where he has run an eatery there with no violations on his liquor license. “If anyone knows Maui, they have very restrictive liquor licenses there,” Brass said.
He added the restaurant will be one of the largest in the area with 220 seats. He expects to be able to pull down $750k in alcohol sales a year with a bar & grill license.
HATCH Taqueria & Tequilas (represented by Andy Ward and Betsy Campbell)
Campbell’s main complaint with restaurant liquor license was the requirement that bartenders had to “mysteriously disappear” after taking a drink order. “You look at the display of tequilas on the wall. You discuss them and choose one, and the server returns the bottle to the wall and leaves. Then your drink comes from some unseen place,” Campbell explained. “Locals get it but visitors don’t understand.”
Campbell said she was told by then-Mayor Mark Barron in 2010 that she should use the restaurant liquor license for a while and come back when another bar & grill was available. So here she was. Campbell, Ward, and Jeffrey Davies are equal three-way owners of HATCH.
Hole Bowl (represented by Jessica McGregor)
Since moving to the valley 16 years ago, all McGregor heard was how we need a bowling alley, especially during the long winters when there isn’t much to do outside. McGregor rallied investors and opened Hole Bowl (for the first time) on July 16, 2016.
“We are a 1,6591-square-foot, family-friendly business with a restaurant, Pinsetter, bowling alleys, games and a capacity of 296. McGregor said she could advertise more effectively the many community events hole Bowl holds with a bar & grill license. Hole Bowl employs about 32. McGregor (60%), Elizabeth Spence (19%), and several other smaller investors own Hole Bowl.
JH Playhouse & Saddle Rock Family Saloon (represented by Vickie Garnick)
Vickie Garnick began playhouse operation in 1980. She added the Saddle Rock Saloon dining area in 1999. The theatre employed a BYOB policy until 2006. Since 2012, Garnick has been using a catering permit to serve alcohol with dinner before the show.
Garnick said she has reached a point where there is an “inability to grow in the future” without a bar & grill liquor license. She said the license has historically proven to add about an 18% increase in sales. The theatre will serve about 15,000 guests this year, according to Garnick. The Saloon also opens for lunch.
Lotus Organic Restaurant (represented by Amy Young)
The last time Young was in front of the council, she was in jeopardy of losing her restaurant liquor license after repeated late night party violations. Young claimed ignorance to some of the nuances of Wyoming statute.
“I’m very familiar with the laws,” Young said this time around, and then paused for a few seconds, “through past experiences.” She said a bar & grill license will help Lotus bring strong social and economic opportunity to the community. The organic restaurant’s use of fresh, local ingredients also helps other businesses in the area, Young said.
Moe’s Original BBQ (represented by Tom Fay)
Fay was also seeking a bar & grill for his six-year-old pizzeria, Pink G’s, but pulled that application before the hearing in front of the council. Fay said he has been in hospitality for the last 25 years, managing restaurants for the last 13. He feels strongly about giving back to the community.
“I grew up here in Jackson. In fact, I just went to our 20-year high school reunion recently,” Fay said. “The bar at Moe’s is the centerpiece of what we are doing.” A bar & grill would help streamline ordering during sporting events and such, as the restaurant has 11 TVs. Fay said he employs about 40 and could remain open later with a bar & grill liquor license. Moe’s currently does about an 80-15, food-alcohol sales split. Fay (60%) owns the restaurant with David Fogg (40%).
Fay also added he thought bar & grill licenses should be reserved for businesses that have earned their way up to them after first having a restaurant license.
Nikai Sushi (represented by Zia Yasrobi)
Nikai has been shuttered since March, fueling rumors about what had or what would become of it. Yasrobi explained that sushi was everywhere now and Nikai no longer wished to be in that cuisine model. Owners Jerry Johnston (76%) and Phillip Coosain (24%) are planning on reopening for the ski season this winter after a remodel as a standard bar and grill.
“We’ve been serving drinks out of a closet for 15 years,” Yasrobi said, referring the aspect of a restaurant liquor license which calls for drinks to be prepared out of sight of the customer. Nikai was doing about 30% alcohol sales. Wine was selling exceptionally well thanks for a level 3 sommelier, Yasrobi said.
Orsetto Italian Bar & Eatery (represented by Fred Peightal)
“Ours is the only fully Italian wine list in the valley,” Peightal explained to the council. Orsettos employs about 30 full time employees. It opened in December 2016. Orsetto is owned by Peightal (50%) and Joshua Governale (50%). It currently operates with a restaurant liquor license.
A bar & grill license would allow the eatery to provide a better customer experience, Peightal said.
Roadhouse Brewing Co. Pub & Eatery (represented by Gavin Fine)
Fine dropped the bombshell of the afternoon when he explained the bar & grill license he was seeking was not for his new microbrewery on Gregory Lane. He said he was moving a restaurant into the Town Square Tavern space, and that bar was leaving, along with its retail liquor license. Fine said he intended to turn the Tavern into a restaurant/bar but the bar would be a focal point.
“I don’t think the local consumer or the tourist would be satisfied with less than a bar and grill license,” Fine said. “It would almost be like the Cowboy Bar not having a liquor license.” Fine said he does not intend to keep up the live music program currently in place at Town Square Tavern. He expects to employ anywhere from 50 to 80 at the new restaurant.
Fine and Colby Cox are equal partners in the new venture. They hope to begin renovations in the new downtown location on November 1.
Teton Tiger (represented by owner Ryan Haworth and FOH manager Karen Lenti)
Teton Tiger opened in 2008. He said, “A bar & grill license would increase efficiency and facetime with our guests. Currently, a bartender takes an order and has to walk away and craft a cocktail. Each of those seconds adds up to minutes and decreases the time we can spend with our guests.”
Haworth also mentioned the revitalization going on at his end of town after the departure of Yellowstone Garage, “that area went kind of sleepy,” he said. Now with Moos relocation Orsetto’s opening, and Teton Tiger—the area is vibrant again, according to Haworth.
Haworth also mentioned the restaurant has employee housing space for six full time employees. Haworth (70%) owns Teton Tiger with four other minority investors.
Thai Me Up (represented by GM Jamie Morris)
The restaurant has operated under a microbrewery liquor license which allows for visible taps but drinks still have to be poured in the back. A bar & grill license will allow Thai Me Up to continue its commitment to paying its employees a decent wage.
“A bar & grill license will also dramatically improve customer service,” Morris said. “People get confused when you order drinks and bartender disappears.”
Jeremy Tofte owns Thai Me Up.
White Buffalo Club (represented by GM Ron Nelson and restaurant manager Stacy Stilller)
Nelson said he has been in the industry for 15 years, half of that as a general manager. He joined White Buffalo a year ago. He said the restaurant was interested in revamping a bit and could use the bar & grill license to better do that. A bar & grill would also allow for more advertising opportunities.
“If someone orders a $28 glass of wine, they don’t know if it came from a box of…” Nelson said. White Buffalo has onsite housing for eight employees.
