Who we are: hospitality licensing consultants for Victorian venues
We work with the people who run venues: cafés, restaurants, bars, pubs, bottle shops, breweries, wineries, distilleries, clubs and event organisers. We also work with the brokers, agents, architects and accountants who send venues our way.
Our work covers:
- Liquor licences, new and changed
- Planning permits for venues
- Problems with council, police or LCV, including objections and enforcement
- Buying a venue, with checks before you sign
- Opening a venue, from approvals to opening day
- Ongoing compliance through ComplianceCare
We usually have more than 40 live matters at any one time. The team is small: a principal, a senior consultant, a junior consultant and an in-house draftsman who draws our red line plans (the plans showing where liquor can be served).
Why planning and licensing belong together
Your planning permit sets the ceiling on what your liquor licence can ever be. The hours, patron numbers, licensed area, music and amenity conditions on a permit all limit what the licence can allow. Most operators find this out after they have signed a lease.
The two systems sit with different bodies. Council handles planning. LCV handles liquor licences. Licensing-only agents can't fix a permit, and planners don't do licences.
We work both ends. Before you commit to a site, we can check what the permit and licence allow. If the permit is the problem, we deal with council to change it. Then we get the licence that fits.
Consultants, not lawyers
We are consultants, not a law firm, and that is deliberate. We prepare applications, submissions and responses. We deal directly with council planners, LCV officers and police licensing units. We don't give legal advice.
Here is why that works in your favour:
- We know what a condition does to trade. Our team has run venues. A closing time, a patron cap or a crowd controller condition is not just wording to us. We know what it costs on a busy night.
- Fixed fees, not billable hours. We agree the fee before work starts, so you know the cost up front.
- We deal with these regulators every week. Council planners, LCV officers and police licensing units are our everyday work.
- Counsel where it's needed. For complex VCAT matters, we prepare the case and work alongside counsel where needed.
How we work
Every matter is led by a principal. Most jobs follow four steps:
- A 15-minute call. It's free. We confirm what's needed and fix the fee.
- Our online form. You answer our questions and upload your documents from any device.
- You review and sign off. We prepare everything. Nothing is lodged until you have checked and approved it.
- We lodge and manage it to a decision. We are listed as the agent and primary contact on your application, so further information requests, advertising and objections come to us.
We reply within 24 hours.
The team
Jacob Bettio, Principal
Jacob ran licensed venues for about ten years from age 22. He leads licensing, planning and compliance. Read Jacob's background
James Curby, Senior Consultant
James has 17 years in venue and kitchen operations, including venue ownership. He leads implementation and project management. Read James's background
Where we work
We work across Victoria, in metro Melbourne and regional areas, with every council. The state's liquor laws are the same everywhere, but each council has its own local policies and its own footpath trading rules, and we work with all of them.
If you run several venues, our multi-site partnerships give you one team across the group. Otherwise, book a 15-minute call and tell us what you're working on.