Tennessee ABC Tells Bars to "Cook It"

Satirist Weird Al Yankovic parodied Michael Jackson by singing "Eat It." Top brass at the Tennessee ABC are now telling limited service license holders to "Cook It" - in a kitchen - on premises - at the bar. This is new to us.

Bone McAllester liquor attorney Tucker Herndon was helping with licensing for a routine transfer of ownership for a bar on Second Avenue in Nashville. The bar serves food from a neighboring business and does not have its own kitchen. The ABC gave the bar two weeks to install its own working kitchen.

The practice of catering in food from a neighboring kitchen sufficed in the past for some limited service license holders.

Unlike the restaurant law, the limited service law only requires that prepared foods be served. There is no specific requirement for a kitchen in the limited service law.

We were advised by the ABC that limited service license holders must have their own kitchen in order to qualify for the license. The ABC is interpreting the limited service law to require every bar to have its own kitchen to prepare food.

The new kitchen rule will most likely impact existing limited service license holders at renewal inspections. We advise bar owners to be proactive, and if questions about kitchens, ask an ABC agent or contact us about whether cooking equipment meets minimum requirements.