Where's my liquor permit?!

Picture this: It's 2:00pm on a Friday and you're impatiently waiting for your alcohol permit to be sent to you. Your event is happening in less than 24 hours. To make things worse, la Regie's office closes in an hour.  What do you do?

First off, don't panic (even though you're about to pull a Michael Douglas like in the movie "Falling Down").

Unfortunately, this type of scenario is very common.  When you rent a space in Quebec that doesn't have an alcohol permit and or hire a caterer who also doesn't have a permit to purchase alchohol, it is your responsibility to fill out an application and send it to RACJ to obtain your permit. 

It is imperative to send your applications at least 30 days prior to your event. 

Here's what you need to know:

●The Montreal RACJ office still exists, however, it is no longer opened to the public.  Back in the day, clients had the option of showing up and getting their permits on-site.  Now, all applications must be sent to the Québec city office.

●When you send in your application early, don't expect to get your permit ahead of time.  Even though it is important that you mail in your application 30 days prior to your event date, they won't do you any favors and mail it to you beforehand. Trust me! 

They review each event one week prior to the event date.  So, if your party is taking place on Saturday, October 1st they'll only start reviewing it as of Monday, September 26.

●If you want to follow-up with them and see what the status is, you will only receive a tracking number 1 week leading up to your event.  Don't panic if they tell you it's not entered in their database yet.

●Ensure that you ask to receive a copy of your permit by email just in case it gets lost in the mail. 

Lastly, before you submit your application make sure you fill it out properly!  So many applications are rejected because they don't choose the right options.   If you are serving alcohol or selling it at a venue that doesn't have a permit you are required by law to get a permit. Otherwise, you might get a friendly visit from your local police department and may shut down your event. Good grief!  

Party fun trivia: did you know, there are only a few caterers in Montreal that actually have an alcohol permit?  Who are they, you're asking?  You'll have to hire me for your next gig in order to find - out!    ;)

https://www.racj.gouv.qc.ca/en/formulaires-et-publications/forms/alcohol/reunion-permits.html

We do not prefer your preferred vendor

Choosing a vendor for a wedding or any type of event is stressful enough.  We want our party to be memorable and of course most importantly, flawless.  Question is, how do we know the vendor we're choosing is a winner?  When a vendor says, "Hey, you can choose our preferred partner for your wedding" what does that really mean?  A "preferred vendor" translates into a partnership between two suppliers.  The majority of the time, they've signed a contract saying that they can only refer each other and get a commission if their clients choose them.  If there is a contract, then they must be good, right? Actually, no.  They probably know each other personally, or have trust issues with other vendors.  Just because they are listed as preferred vendors doesn't necessarily mean that they are awesome at what they do.  So, how do we choose the best of the best?  Easy.  As the client, you have the right to ask them how they know their vendors and if they have a contract with them.  Don't be shy to see actual referrals from people who recently used them.  Get in touch with them through Facebook (a.k.a. stalk their instagram or fb to see pics of their event).  If you're inquiring about a D.J. or a musical band, ask them when their upcoming gig is taking place and drop by to see them in action.  If they're a caterer, ask them for a tasting before you sign anything!  If you're trying to book a photographer ask to see pictures and not just on their website, but in person!  I cannot stress how important it is to do your own p.i. research on vendors.  They might have cool websites, or intice you to use someone by offering you 5% off. At the end of the day, that's not what's it's all about.  It's about customer service and delivering what you paid for and then some. 

I'll admit, we have our own list of favorite vendors that we use on a regular basis but we are not binded by a contract or any ridiculous commission fees.  They are a list of people that are talented, reliable, affordable, easy to work with.  And our list keeps on growing.  It's open-ended.  We have one rule, if you are rude or simply suck, we will not recommend you as our "preferred vendor".