Hiring a Liquor Consultant to Manage Your Provincial Liquor License Application

A provincial liquor license application is on the top of the list of “must haves” for Canadian private liquor stores and wine stores, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, liquor manufacturer, hotels, caterers, casinos, resorts and more. For these businesses, a liquor license serves a core business function; without the license, they couldn’t open their doors for customers. Applying for a liquor license can be confusing, frustrating and time consuming, which is why most businesses hire a consultant to manage their liquor license in Canada.

Liquor License Applications are Not “One Size Fits All” in Canada

Not only does each type of liquor service businesses require a specific type of liquor license, but each province also has jurisdiction over licensing businesses in their province. The waters are muddied further because the name of the license and the application steps differ from province to province. Confused? You aren’t alone. It’s difficult enough for a layperson to understand liquor licensing in their own back yard, let alone have familiarity with liquor licensing in Canada’s other provinces and territories. We understand that business owners and start-up partners may not reside in the province in which they wish to open a business.

This is why doing it yourself isn’t advisable as it doesn’t typically make good business sense. If you want your head to spin, take a quick look at the article we wrote “How to Get a Liquor License in Canada” which summarizes all available liquor licenses in every province and territory. That article is a mere summary. Imagine the amount of research it would take to become an expert. The complexity illustrates why consultants like Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors exist in the first place, and why businesses use our liquor license application services.

Steps in Liquor License Application Services

At Thrive, we perform similar tasks regardless of the type of liquor license a business needs. These include:

• Understanding a client’s needs including immediate, short-term and long term goals
• Creating a roadmap of to-dos that are part of the liquor license application process
• Obtaining personal histories of owners, officers, directors and business partners
• Crafting letters of intent where applicable
• Gathering required financial documents
• Obtaining copies of floor plan and patio/lounge drawings, amenities plans, capacity limits, fire safety and security documentation
• Obtaining and/or creating food and liquor service descriptions
• Overseeing municipal approvals and licensing
• Providing public notice consultation (where applicable)
• Arranging responsible service training and providing enhanced training by creating manuals and guides

Once your provincial liquor license application is approved, we don’t stop there. We establish long-term business relationships with most of our clients by offering continued licensing support services and operations consulting.

Thrive Makes Liquor Licenses Easier than You Think!

Whether you’re starting a business, or are up and running, working with a liquor consultant gives you and edge in business. Thrive consultants live and breathe liquor licensing and do the time-consuming work, so you can concentrate on running your business, and having a life! If you need help with your provincial liquor license application or would like to find out how we work, book a complimentary consultation.