City Council Approves Liquor License for Tuscaloosa Cracker Barrel

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

The Tuscaloosa City Council approved a request for a liquor license for the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on Dorris Pate Drive in a 4-0 vote Tuesday night.

The initial request was tabled for a week after a representative for the company was not able to attend a virtual meeting to discuss the application.

Cracker Barrel's application comes as part of the brand's nationwide campaign to offer a limited amount of alcoholic beverages at its restaurants. Over 250 Cracker Barrels already serve drinks including beer, wine and mimosas. According to an official statement from Cracker Barrel, the company hopes to be able to sell beer and wine in nearly 600 locations by the end of fiscal year 2021.

"Our guests have told us that offering beer and wine would reduce the veto vote – that is, those guests who would choose Cracker Barrel for a given dining occasion, but ultimately go elsewhere because they would like to have a beer or a glass of wine with their meal – especially during weekend dinner," the statement read. "The implementation timeline varies by location, but we are encouraged by the performance and with our guests’ response to the introduction of these beer and wine offerings."

Michael Madden, the District Manager for Tuscaloosa's Cracker Barrel, said that selling alcohol will give another option for guests and it will give the store another stream of revenue that it did not have before.

The Tuscaloosa City Council has seven members and generally all of them vote on any municipal matter, but technical difficulties in a partially virtual meeting Tuesday led Mayor Walt Maddox to close the vote at 4-0 after a majority was reached.