This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After three months without a liquor license, patrons at Salt Lake City's venerable Lamb's Grill can once again enjoy beer, wine and spirits with their meals.
Last October, the owners of Lamb's were told to stop serving alcohol — and later fined $2,500 —for failing to inform the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) that the restaurant's majority ownership had changed, a violation of the state's Transfer of License Act.
Without the liquor license, Lamb's owners said they had lost thousands of dollars and the restaurant — which has been operating at 169 S. Main since 1939 — was on the verge of closing.
In late December, the owners paid the fine, constructed a "Zion Curtain," and were granted a new liquor license from the DABC.
Lamb's Grill was previously exempt from having the 7-foot-tall barrier because it had a liquor license before 2009, when a state law took effect that mandated all new restaurants have a room or barrier to shield patrons from seeing the mixing and pouring of alcoholic beverages. When Lamb's lost its license, it was reclassified as a new restaurant and required to build a "Zion Curtain."