Utah bar licenses dwindle to a mere quartet at the August DABS meeting

Per the title, that’s the important takeaway from August’s DABS get-together. Going into the gathering, six bar licenses were available in Utah. This after HB 548 passed this year, increasing the supply, albeit also compelling the commission to hand them out as and when any qualifying business appeared before them; said licensees then have more than a year to open their doors…

This month two bars were handed their golden ticket, leaving the state with just four available licenses to hand out to would-be businesses. A reminder then that no more bar licenses will be available unless a) a business forfeits a license, b) state population increases – or c) next Summer rolls around, and the state quota is expected to ratchet up modestly again.

This month’s newly minted bar license owners were the following duo:

• Bar Martine, Salt Lake City (planned opening November)
• The Station Bar, Herriman (planned opening February 2025)

That first name on the list is an intriguing one seemingly out of nowhere. It appears as though the old Martine restaurant space in downtown Salt Lake City is about to be repurposed into a new bar.

Full-service restaurant licenses (beer, wine, liquor)

Restaurateurs can breathe a little easier than their bar brethren, 54 full-service licenses remained in Utah’s inventory at the start of this month’s meeting. From those, six were awarded to the following:

• Mi Buena Vida, Springville
• Hilton Garden Inn, Salt Lake City
• Kuchu Shabu, Salt Lake City
• Ichiban Sushi, Riverdale
• La Condesa, Sandy, September
• Wicked Peel, Midvale, October

Limited service restaurants (beer, wine)

Five of these were handed out as follows:

• Kahi Sushi & Grill, American Fork
• Alpha Coffee Inc, Cottonwood Heights
• Bundy’s Brazilian Steakhouse, St. George
• Chengdu Hotpot & BBQ, South Salt Lake City
• Roots 89 Roadhouse, Ephraim

Beer only restaurants

Lastly, the following duo both received simpler licenses to pour the sudsy stuff:

• Mi Buena Vida Express, Salt Lake City
• Pork N Roll, Draper

Lastly, I should note that the Drink In Utah September pricing report is out nice and early this month – so go ahead and see what’s gone up and down at state liquor stores

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Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.