Before July 1, Squatters was a restaurant. At least, parts of it were. Another part—the parts that looked like a bar—was a tavern, aka a beer bar. Squatters’ patrons could drink beer at the bar. Some beer, that is. From their barstools, they could watch special beers with higher-than-3.2 percent alcohol being manufactured through glass directly behind the bar counter at the on-site brewery. But if they wanted to drink one of those strong beers, they had to be sitting at a table in the restaurant portion of the building. And they had to be eating food.

Inevitably, one of the would-be Squatters’ diners seated at the bar while waiting for a table would want a glass of wine and servers would have to launch into a lengthy explanation about how that was impossible unless they were seated 3 feet away in a different part of the building.

“I always said the less you knew about Utah liquor law, the easier it was to understand,” says Joe Lambert, a partner in Squatters, which is located in a tourist-heavy area near the Salt Palace. “It can be so confusing that, as you would try to explain it, people would just throw up their hands and say, ‘Can I get a drink or not?’ We had people just walk out.”

That all went away July 1 when Squatters turned in its old licenses and became a “dining club.” The restaurant applied for a club license in anticipation of the new liquor law. Under the old system, becoming a club would have meant requiring memberships and risking being even more off-putting to tourists. Under the new law in which clubs are public, Lambert says the switch makes Squatters “more like the real world. It’s going to be so much easier for our guests to understand.”

In addition to being able to order whatever you’d like to drink, wherever you are in Squatters, the new licensing will allow Squatters to sell high-alcohol beer in jugs out the front door. It plans the first release, an Octoberfest, for September 1. You can even sit down to Sunday brunch at Squatters and order a Bloody Mary before noon.

Not that Squatters would encourage it, says Jenny Talley, Squatters brewmaster, but, “You’ll be able to come in, have a shot of tequila, then go to church on Sunday.” Remember, though, you can only order drinks on Sunday mornings at bars, not restaurants (where you still need to wait till noon to order a drink).
Under Utah’s new liquor laws, the state is no longer in the private-club business. At midnight July 1, as if the fairy godmother had waived her wand, Utah’s “private clubs” automatically became public places. Likewise with so-called “dining clubs” such as the New Yorker. Never again will state alcohol inspectors ask to see the establishments’ books of members. Gone is the state-imposed minimum $4 “membership fee.” The state of Utah doesn’t care anymore.

However, recognizing that some club owners liked the old system—whether because of the extra revenue from membership fees or because “members-only” was a ready excuse to keep out troublemakers—the Utah Legislature has left open the option for clubs to restrict entrance to those who are “on a list and/or pay a fee.” In the new post-private club era, the rules of membership are up individual club owners. (Fraternal clubs, like the Elks or Moose, and “equity clubs,” like golf clubs, are not impacted by the new liquor law. Both will continue to operate as private entities.)

Below is a list of clubs going “public” after July 1 followed by those that will remain a members-only system. Those who have opted not to change offered varying reasons, such as wanting to be able to offer patrons an exclusive experience. A few worried that hanging up the “public” sign could attract unsavory characters. One club located inside of a hotel wanted to make sure hotel guests got a seat at the bar. Others wanted to see how the new liquor law worked before making changes. Many more said they hadn’t yet made up their minds, or didn’t understand the law.

And while we attempted to contact every DABC club licensee prior to our deadline, not every club returned our calls. Thus, not every club is listed, and information below is subject to change.

(Club listings information compiled by Jamie Gadette)

Going Public (No Membership Required)