Victory for Restaurants with Outdoor Seating Only

After a restaurant was denied a liquor license on the grounds that it only had outdoor seating, they fought back. Now, they have won a victory that will set a precedent for all restaurants in the country.

When the restaurant Liebling in Södermalm, Stockholm, applied for a permit for its beer garden last summer, they were denied based on a court ruling in the Administrative Court of Appeal in Gothenburg, which stated that liquor licenses cannot be granted to establishments with only outdoor seating.

Liebling attempted to build a booth adjacent to the outdoor seating without success. Despite the setback, they continued to fight, and now the Administrative Court of Appeal in Stockholm has ruled – Liebling is granted a permit for its outdoor seating.

The decision is also welcomed from a political standpoint.

– We are very pleased. This is what we wanted to achieve all along. It feels good that we received the news in good time, now that everyone will soon be applying for liquor licenses, says Alexander Ojanne, the Social and Safety Commissioner (S) to Mitt i.

According to Ojanne, they now have a new practice to follow, and although they can appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, they believe there is no reason to pursue it in a higher instance.

Ojanne and Wedin. Photo: Kajsa Göransson / M Sthlm

Demanding an Apology

When Liebling was denied a permit, opposition commissioner Dennis Wedin (M) became angry and believes that the red-green government owes the restaurant an apology.

– They let the officials sneak through this decision, despite our protests. It affected Liebling severely, as they cannot get back the summer, and I have spoken with other restaurateurs who refrained from applying. It is actually unacceptable.

According to Alexander Ojanne, neither politicians nor officials can make any other assessments than what a court does, and he believes that the opposition would have ended up in the same position if they were in power.