Alcohol license for USC arena renewed; football stadium still being reviewed
The state revenue department says it has renewed the license to sell alcohol at the University of South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena, but that an application to sell booze at Williams Brice Stadium is still being considered.
A spokeswoman at the SC Department of Revenue, which approves alcohol licenses, said Tuesday that it has renewed the license to sell alcohol for Aramark, a third-party vendor that works in the university’s Colonial Life Arena, which hosts Gamecock basketball and other events.
The arena’s alcohol license had been under protest from Columbia City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann since last summer. The councilman, who is running for mayor this year, has been attempting to turn the tables on USC with the protests, as USC has often joined with neighborhood leaders to protest the alcohol licenses of bars in Five Points, the popular college nightlife and entertainment district.
In December, a hearing on Rickenmann’s protest against Aramark for Colonial Life Arena was held before Judge H.W. Funderburk in a state Administrative Law Court. In his subsequent order, Funderburk sent the case back to the state Department of Revenue to determine the scope of Aramark’s control of the arena where alcohol is sold and consumed, and to clarify the role of another company, Southern Way Catering, in Aramark’s sale of alcoholic beverages at the arena.
Meanwhile, Rickenmann also protested last year the alcohol license renewal for Williams-Brice Stadium, which was held by Southern Way Catering. However, that third-party vendor is no longer seeking renewal, and a USC spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the university itself is seeking the alcohol licenses for the Gamecocks’ football stadium off Bluff Road.
A department Department of Revenue spokeswoman said Tuesday that USC’s request for Williams-Brice is still being reviewed.
When reached Tuesday, Rickenmann told The State he needs to review the university’s application for Williams-Brice Stadium, and he wants to have a conversation with school officials. He did not rule out the possibility of protesting the school’s request to sell alcohol at the stadium.
Meanwhile, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin has written a letter to the revenue department supporting alcohol licenses at USC’s sports venues.
“I concur with findings from research carried out by the University of South Carolina, along with the SEC, that responsible and appropriate sales of beer and wine inside sporting venues decreases binge drinking outside of the stadium prior to games, as sports fans know they can enjoy beverages purchased during the games,” the mayor wrote in a letter to the Department of Revenue’s alcoholic beverage licensing division.
Rickenmann continues to insist that the university is held to a different standard when it comes to the issue of alcohol. The District 4 Councilman has long been an advocate for the restaurants and bars in Five Points, and has pushed back as USC has joined with neighbors in protesting alcohol license renewals for some bars, while at the same time selling alcohol at its sporting events, many of which also have raucous tailgating scenes before and after games.
For instance, Rickenmann said the university should be required to use the same brand of equipment to check IDs — Intellicheck — that SLED and local law enforcement strongly recommend for bars to use.
“I think it is a different standard,” Rickenmann said. “(USC) goes after small businesses, but because they are the big gorilla in the neighborhood, they get to do whatever they want to do.”
USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said the school uses IDVisor Smart V2 devices to check IDs. He also stressed that USC checks every alcohol customer’s ID at the games, regardless of the appearance of the person’s age.
Rickenmann has said that over-consumption before, during and after ballgames and concerts can cause public health and safety issues. He also has called for, among other things, a specialized alcohol enforcement plan for ballgames and other USC-sponsored events.
Meanwhile, USC has long denied it holds itself to a different criteria than what it expects of Five Points bars. In a March story in The State, Stensland pointed out the school has not joined protests against all Five Points bars, just ones that it sees as troublesome in terms of law enforcement concerns and a pattern of overserving students, among other criteria.
But it’s clear that Benjamin, Columbia’s third-term mayor and a former USC student body president, thinks the school should have licenses for alcohol at its sports venues.
“Simply stated, in-venue beer and wine sales at sporting events provide greater capacity for ensuring sales are made to age-appropriate attendees, implementing safety protocols, controlling the amount of consumption, monitoring overuse or abuse, and enacting swift response by trained law enforcement or security to address issues,” Benjamin wrote in his letter to the revenue department.
“Renewing the license for beer and wine sales at UofSC sporting events at Williams-Brice Stadium and Colonial Life Arena would be both responsible and prudent.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 10:37 AM.
