Beverage Services

Seasons Catering & Special Occasions offers fully-licensed and insured bar services to compliment our off-premise catering services. As such, we often have questions from our clients regarding the handling and/or sale of alcoholic beverages at various events. This information is meant to help educate potential and existing clients as to both the leniency and restrictions of the law.

243.033 Caterer’s license

KRS 243.033 and 804 KAR 4:310. A license may be issued as a supplemental license to a holder of an LP, LR, RD, ML, AL, or holder of an LD license. A caterer’s license may also be issued as a primary license to a food caterer for premises that serves as a food commissary at a designated banquet hall. No primary caterer’s license shall be issued to premises that operates as a non-ABC licensed restaurant. The caterer’s license shall authorize the caterer to transport, sell, serve, buy from wholesalers, and deliver alcoholic beverages for sale by the drink at a location away from the licensed premises or at the caterer’s designated banquet hall in conjunction with the catering of food for his guests. A caterer is required to maintain a percent of food sales at each event as set by statute or local ordinance for the territory in which the licensee is catering (70 % food/30 % alcohol locally).

(1) A caterer’s license may be issued as a supplementary license to a caterer that holds a quota retail package license, a quota retail drink license, an NQ1license, an NQ2 license, or a limited restaurant license.

(2) The caterer’s license may be issued as a primary license to a caterer in any wet territory or in any moist territory established under KRS 242.125 for the premises that serves as the caterer’s commissary and designated banquet hall. No primary caterer’s license shall be issued to a premises that operates as a restaurant. The alcoholic beverage stock of the caterer shall be kept under lock and key at the licensed premises during the time that the alcoholic beverages are not being used in conjunction with a catered function.

(3) The caterer’s license shall authorize the caterer to: (a) Purchase and store alcoholic beverages in the manner prescribed in KRS243.250, 243.280, and 244.310; (b) Transport, sell, serve, and deliver malt beverages by the drink at locations away from the licensed premises or at the caterer’s designated banquet hall in conjunction with the catering of food and malt beverages for a customer and his or her guests, in:
          1. Cities and counties established as moist territory under KRS242.1244 if the receipts from the catering of food at any catered event are at least seventy percent (70%) of the gross receipts from the catering of both food and malt beverages; or
          2. All other wet territory if the receipts from the catering of food at any catered event are at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the gross receipts from the catering of both food and malt beverages; (c) Transport, sell, serve, and deliver distilled spirits and wine by the drink at locations away from the licensed premises or at the caterer’s designated banquet hall in conjunction with the catering of food and alcoholic beverages for a customer and his or her guests, in:
          1. Cities and counties established as moist territory under KRS242.1244 if the receipts from the catering of food at any catered event are at least seventy percent (70%) of the gross receipts from the catering of both food and alcoholic beverages;
          2. Cities of the fourth class and counties containing cities of the fourth class established as wet or moist territory permitting distilled spirits and wine drink sales by ordinance under KRS 243.072 if the receipts from the catering of food at any catered event are at least fifty percent (50%) of the gross receipts from the catering of both food and alcoholic beverages; or
          3. All other wet territory in which the sale of distilled spirits and wine by the drink is authorized if the receipts from the catering of food at any catered event are at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the gross receipts from the catering of both food and alcoholic beverages; (d) Receive and fill telephone orders for alcoholic beverages in conjunction with the ordering of food for a catered event; and (e) Receive payment for alcoholic beverages served at a catered event on a by-the-drink or by-the-event basis. The caterer may bill the host for by-the-function sales of alcoholic beverages in the usual course of the caterer’s business.

(4) A caterer licensee shall not cater alcoholic beverages at locations for which retail alcoholic beverage licenses or special temporary licenses have been issued. A caterer licensee may cater a fundraising event for which a special temporary distilled spirits and wine auction license has been issued under KRS243.036.

(5) A caterer licensee shall not cater distilled spirits and wine on Sunday except in territory in which the Sunday sale of distilled spirits and wine is permitted under the provisions of KRS 244.290 and 244.295. A caterer licensee shall not cater malt beverages on Sunday except in territory in which the Sunday sale of malt beverages is permitted under the provisions of KRS 244.480.

(6) The location at which alcoholic beverages are sold, served, and delivered by a caterer, pursuant to this section, shall not constitute a public place for the purpose of KRS Chapter 222. If the location is a multi-unit structure, only the unit or units at which the function being catered is held shall be excluded from the public place provisions of KRS Chapter 222.

(7) The caterer licensee shall post a copy of his or her caterer’s license at the location of the function for which alcoholic beverages are catered.

(8) The name and license numbers of the caterer shall be painted or securely attached, in a contrasting color, in a form prescribed by the board by promulgation of an administrative regulation, upon all vehicles used by the caterer to transport alcoholic beverages.

(9) All restrictions and prohibitions applying to a distilled spirits and wine quota retail drink licensee not inconsistent with this section shall apply to the caterer licensee.

(10) The caterer licensee shall maintain records as set forth in KRS 244.150 and in administrative regulations promulgated by the board.

Effective:June 25, 2013
History: Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 121, sec. 47, effective June 25, 2013. —
Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 99, sec. 9, effective June 26, 2007. — Amended
2004 Ky. Acts ch. 20, sec. 5, effective July 13, 2004. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts
ch. 121, sec. 9, effective July 15, 1998. — Created 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 196, sec. 1,
effective July 14, 1992.