KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE (6/18/19): The City of Knoxville postponed its discussion Tuesday on whether to approve beer permit applications for Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium.
It was set to be discussed at the Beer Board meeting on June 18.
In order to be approved, a checklist needs to be accurately completed. Not every box needs to be checked to apply but enough needs to be done to show the company is moving in the right direction.
According to the checklist, the board could approve the permit, could approve it pending final documentation, deny it or defer it.
ORIGINAL STORY (6/13/19): The company Aramark has submitted beer permit applications asking the City of Knoxville for approval to sell beer at Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium, according to next week's Beer Board Agenda.
The Beer Board Agenda for the June 18 meeting lists the beer permit requests as an item to be discussed.
In order to be approved, a checklist needs to be accurately completed. Not every box needs to be checked to apply but enough needs to be done to show the company is moving in the right direction.
According to the checklist, the board could approve the permit, could approve it pending final documentation, deny it or defer it.
City Councilman George Wallace is the chairman of the Beer Board, which is made up of each of the nine city council members. Approval needs five votes. Otherwise, a vendor can reapply.
He said applicants have to first pass a background check, take a class on alcohol sales and safety and then pass several inspections.
He said it's about a thirty-day process, but making the beer board agenda is the home stretch.
"If everything is in place, and they filled out the permit right, and the application and everything is ready, and they've done everything asked for... then it could be permitted, and they could be serving beer as early as June 19," Wallace said.
But Wallace says he doesn't think it will be a shoo-in. He says he thinks the council will have questions about policy.
"How are you going to ID? You got a lot of people under age that are going to be mixing with people of age... how are you going to identify someone to sell beer? Is it going to be a wristband? They'll have to have a policy," Wallace said.
The vendor will have to share that policy with the Beer Board.
Aramark's applications do include an alcohol service compliance plan, which includes policies like server training and licensing, and not allowing more than two drinks per transaction.
