Weddings, Parties, and Galas, Oh My!

Ever been to a wedding or formal event and were in awe of the food and drinks? Have you seen the person seemingly lead the staff like a conductor leading an orchestra? Experience the joy and ease it brings to party goers? Perhaps after viewing this spectacle, you wondered what it takes to get a catering license. Well, in this edition of Topics and Trends, we will go over how to do just that.

The Bar

There are three tiers of liquor license a caterer can have:

• Beer or Wine: $200
• Beer and Wine: $400
• Spirits/Beer/Wine: $1,000

A liquor caterer license allows the licensee to sell spirits, beer, and wine by the individual serving for consumption on the premises of the catered event location. A spirits, beer, and wine caterer licensee must be able to serve at least four different complete meals. A beer/wine caterer must also have the ability to provide food such as sandwiches, salads, soups, hamburgers, pizza, or other minimum food services. Food must be prepared at a licensed kitchen that has the necessary equipment to prepare and cook meals.

Location, Location, Location

The location of the event must belong to the caterer or the event sponsor unless the event is limited to invited guests only. If the event is open to the public, it must be sponsored by a nonprofit organization. A catered event cannot be held at a liquor licensed location, such as a bar or nightclub. Consult your liquor officer if you have questions before an event at these types of locations.

A licensed Caterer may serve at events they are hired to provide services for. These events must be located on property that is owned, leased, or operated by either the holder of the caterer’s license or the sponsor of the event. The event space may not be located on the premises of a liquor licensed business. If the event space is owned, leased, or operated by the holder of the caterer’s license, it must be in a separate location than their licensed premise.

Planning for Success

The final aspect of holding a liquor caterer license is that the caterer must inform LCB about their events. Caterers must send a list of their scheduled events by the first of each month that includes date, time, and location of the event. If any of these details change before any of the events submitted, updated information must be sent to LCB within 72 hours of the event. Please remember that as a caterer you must be contracted by a nonprofit organization for all events open to the public. You may not hold your own events.

Submit scheduled events, questions, or concerns to [email protected] or call (360) 664–1600.

For more information on liquor caterer laws and rules:

• RCW 66.24.690
• WAC 314.02.112

Becoming a caterer can not only be a fun career, but it can also have an impact in people’s lives as you are a crucial piece to some of life’s big events. Making sure party goers are able to celebrate safely will not only make the event successful, but it will create wonderful memories for years to come.