Oswego OKs liquor license change for Chili’s, opening the door for ‘to-go’ drinks

Fans of margaritas and other alcoholic beverages from Chili’s in Oswego may soon be able to bring their drinks home.

The Village Board voted unanimously to approve a change in the restaurant’s liquor license during a meeting Oct. 5.

In a memo to the board, Village Clerk Tina Touchette said Chili’s Grill and Bar in the 2800 block of Route 34 has requested a reclassification of their current Class C liquor license to a Class A-1 license “for purposes of selling alcoholic beverages ‘to-go,’” a practice made popular at restaurants across the country amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

As previously made effective July 1, only businesses that hold combined on/off premises liquor licenses are authorized to have “to-go” sales, Touchette wrote.

“By reclassifying their liquor license to a Class “A-1″ it will allow them to apply for a combined on/off premises liquor license through the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, hence, allowing for ‘to-go’ sales in addition to their current on-premises sale of alcoholic beverages,” Touchette wrote.

Under the A-1 license, Touchette wrote that Chili’s will be able to sell beer, wine and spirits to patrons dining in - a current service, sell original packaged beer or wine “to-go” to patrons dining in or to patrons who ordered takeout, sell a sealed pre-mix of signature margaritas “to-go” to patrons dining in or who ordered takeout.

Sales of sealed/packaged alcoholic beverages will be allowed only with the sale of food and all village and state regulations will apply to the sale of alcoholic beverages, including a required check of IDs before any sale of alcohol, Touchette said.