by Katrice Johnson
Casks And Flights Wine Tasting Room, the Only Black Bar on Palafox
How It All Began
In 2018, Casks & Flights Wine Tasting Room was incorporated in the state of Florida and opened on South Palafox Street as the first Black-owned wine tasting room in Pensacola. We named our company Casks & Flights because of the meaning behind it. The word Cask is a barrel-shaped vessel of staves, headings, and hoops usually for storing alcoholic liquids which can be aged. In the food world, the word Flight is an order of samplings or tastings of selected beverages or food items that is served on a wooden board or in a specially designed carrier. From this, we came up with the name Casks & Flights Wine Tasting Room.
This was our opportunity to bring a unique wine tasting experience to the downtown area. Casks & Flights had acquired its 2COP and Manufacturing License, which allows businesses to sell beer and wine by the glass or in sealed containers (on-premises or package sales). With this type of license, the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (DABT) does not require the business to sell any food. Therefore, on June 29, 2018, we opened as a bar and were “the talk of the town.”
They Grew With The City
As Pensacola began to grow and have different events such as Gallery Night, parades, and other events, we grew with it. From day one, we envisioned making this an establishment for more than tasting various wines. Casks & Flights has become a beacon in the community where a multi-cultural collective can feel comfortable in downtown Pensacola. Since its inception, we have produced our own events and supported and sponsored other events that serve the community. In addition, we support local artists and musicians; we partner with a variety of event promoters; and we offer assistance to nonprofits and other small businesses that need a space to come and highlight their craft or business. These added services really help to bring more culture to the downtown area.
We had some “bumps in the road,” but what business doesn’t? We took our punches and continued moving forward as a strong minority business. In April 2019, Casks & Flights acquired its Retail Food Permit through the State of Florida and Department of Hotels and Restaurants/Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), a license which allows businesses to serve food. Once we received that license, we quickly adapted and began serving food. This feature enhanced the feel of our atmosphere by turning “a drinking hole” into a laid-back lounge that everyone would be able to enjoy and come to love. In addition, we removed the wine fermentation tanks and opened that area up for more seating and room for performing artists.
The downtown Pensacola area was growing: new homes were going up; South Towne Apartments were fully rented; more and more events were going on; Downtown was thriving and was the place to be if you wanted to go out at night and at the weekends. As the nightlife grew, Casks & Flights began to grow with it. Pensacola was on the rise to be a destination area, with that said, inflation was on the rise. It was then we began to search out and find a way to diversify our business to be attractive to more customers. Utilizing a license broker for 4COP Liquor Licenses in the state of Florida, which allows businesses to sell liquor, wine, and beer in the state of Florida gave us an opportunity to be a full-service restaurant and bar that sells all spirits. During that time, we were made aware of a business that was closing and wanted to sell its 4COP Quota License, and we started making plans to purchase that license immediately.
They Obtained Everything Legally
Right before Casks & Flights could obtain the 4COP Liquor License, in March 2020, one of the worst events that could ever have happened in the world took place. Being affected like every other company in the world, we were forced to close our doors due to the Coronavirus. The one saving grace is that because we had our Retail Food Permit, we were allowed to operate as a restaurant, although all bars were not permitted to be open. As we served the public as best we could, we continued to pursue the 4COP Liquor License and obtained it in May 2020. We purchased this license through the Beverage Law Professionals (BLP) with approval from both the state and the City of Pensacola. Once we received that license, that was a game changer for us; however, we were still dealing with the pandemic, and we decided to take care of our community first.
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During the pandemic, we changed our bar and restaurant into a place where people who needed help could get it. We sold food such as chicken breasts, ground beef, cheese, and milk and house supplies such as bleach, toilet paper, paper towels, and much more at cost to make sure people who needed help would receive it. In addition, we made sure that our employees were all paid and didn’t suffer because they couldn’t work. In addition, if there were any outdoor events downtown or in other places, we made sure we were a part of these events as a means of support. We participated in Black Business Weekend with Bantucola, Gallery Night, Pensacon, and much more.
We have operated a successful establishment, selling liquor with the approval of the City of Pensacola since May of 2020. Since then, Casks & Flights has operated above board as a tax-paying restaurant and event space in downtown Pensacola facilitating food, fun, and fellowship. We are proud that Casks & Flights helps enable the City of Pensacola to achieve a prominent status on numerous lists and promotions. We enable all the residents of the broader Pensacola metro area to feel welcome and wanted downtown.
It wasn’t until October of 2022 that we were contacted about complaints and non-compliance. The first complaint we received was about noise, although the sound quality seems the same at every bar and restaurant in that area. Shortly after the “noise complaint” came questions about our licenses to operate, subtle threats to our employees about their employment, and complaints about our existence as an entity.
What They Have Had to Endure
Furthermore, having to prove our ability to operate legally, Casks & Flights has been harassed by the neighboring bars and has even been threatened by others about our existence in this community. To be singled out and forced to prove that we legally belong has become taxing and quite irritating to the owners and spills over into the community that supports and loves this establishment.
We will never be the great City we can be without minority businesses. Casks & Flights was and always will be more than just a bar. It’s a part of Pensacola’s history, and our younger generation and community need to see Black-owned businesses in their town. It gives them hope. It breaks molds of mindsets. It promotes forward thinking. People in Pensacola are always talking about how things are changing and how we are growing into a metropolitan area. However, without Black-owned businesses thriving, Pensacola will never be the flourishing city it can and should be.
***Be sure to check out the author’s company by going to Graphic Grooves Consulting***
by Katrice Johnson
I’m a graphic designer and web designer. I am also the author of three books and working on my fourth now.
For more information about me and how I can help you with your business, please go to my website Graphic Grooves Consulting
