BENTONVILLE — Grocery and convenience stores could start selling alcohol in Benton County as early as Jan. 16, according to Michael Langley, director of administration for the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.
The division’s five-member board will meet that morning, and business owners can drive to Little Rock and pick up permits that afternoon. Applications received by Dec. 18 will be eligible to receive a permit pending the board’s decision.
At A Glance
Alcohol Permit Applications
Week ending Dec. 12
Bella Vista
• Mac’s Get & Go, 2833 Bella Vista Way: Retail beer off premises, small farm winery
• All In One Stop, 2811 Bella Vista Way: Retail beer off premises
Bentonville
• Curry Point, 2505A S. Walton Blvd.: Restaurant beer and wine
Lowell
• Hickory Creek Marina Fish and Ski Center, 12737 Hickory Creek Road: Retail beer off premises
Rogers
• Chili’s, 420 N. 46th St.: Restaurant beer and wine
• Stop & Go C Store, 1307 W. Hudson Road: Retail beer off premises
• Tobacco Shack, 302 S. Eighth St.: Retail beer off premises
• Finnegan’s Country Market, 17773 Arkansas 12: Retail beer off premises
• Asian N Sushi, 2603 Pleasant Grove, Suite 101: Restaurant beer and wine
Source: Staff Report
Applications with no objection from residents, law enforcement or government leaders are generally approved pro forma after a 30-day waiting period. In this case, however, the division decided to make everyone wait until after the board meeting, Langley said.
“We didn’t want to give anyone a head start,” he said Thursday.
The board will discuss and decide on applicants who received objection. Langley said he hasn’t seen many objections to the applications submitted so far.
Enforcement officers for the division have inspected about 90 businesses as part of the permitting process, he said.
The number of businesses applying to sell alcohol is dropping as the rush to capitalize on the newly-wet county tapers off.
The first few weeks after the Nov. 6 election drew 28 alcohol permit applications from businesses, including E-Z Mart, Kum & Go and Casey’s General Store convenience stores. Fourteen businesses, mostly Walmart stores, applied in the week ending Dec. 7. The next week saw 13 applications, though many of these were for on-premises sales of beer and wine at restaurants.
Six businesses applied for beer permits from the state Alcohol Beverage Control Division in the week ending Dec. 21, while three restaurants applied for permits.
Permit applications will likely pick up in the spring and summer as business owners vie for the county’s 55 liquor permits. State law allows for only 55 stores to sell hard liquor. Permits for beer in grocery and convenience stores aren’t limited.
Applications for beer permits in November and early December came primarily from multiple stores in various chains. The latest round of applicants are individual businesses such Tobacco Shack and Finnegan’s Country Market in Rogers, according to a weekly report from the division.
Three restaurants, including Chili’s at 420 N. 46th St. in Rogers, applied for restaurant beer and wine permits to serve on site. Chili’s already has a private club license allowing it to serve alcohol. The new permit would allow it to purchase beer and wine from wholesalers rather than retail stores. The restaurant can continue to serve liquor under its private club license, though it must purchase liquor from retail stores.
A manager at Chili’s said the permit wouldn’t change anything at the restaurant from the customer standpoint. The only difference is the way the restaurant buys the alcohol, she said.