Statutory Instrument 72 Amended

Michael Peyrefitte

And while some restaurants were able to begin to operate over the weekend, there is another category of restaurant-style businesses that will have to adapt to the regulations. According to the Attorney General, Michael Peyrefitte, business establishments that possess a restaurant license were allowed to operate but those which possess a ‘publican special’ license have to sell to food be able to resume service.  Statutory Instrument seventy-two was amended to allow for these types of businesses to operate as explained by the Attorney General in Ask the Experts today.

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“There is a particular type of license called a publican special license. The publican special license allows you to do exactly what a restaurants does, you server food, you get liquor with the food but the unique feature of the publican special license is that you can go to that place and just drink and no eat no food at all. They operate as a bar and restaurant combined. Those places could not open over the weekend or as of Friday because they are not strictly speaking restaurants. They are more bars who happen to serve food on the side. Restaurants serve food mainly with liquor on the side. Bars like publican special places serve liquor with food on the side. The law has been amended to say this, if you hold a publican special license you wil be able to open but you must operate as if though you are a return. So even though you have a publican special license for now, you can only serve you liquor with food. So if you have a publican special license and you were not serving food, none at all you need to start to serve food now or you have to remain close.”