The city of Charleston, which gave out its final liquor license last week, gives preference to handing out restaurant liquor licenses over other types of licenses.

The city prefers to give out restaurant liquor licenses rather than package or bar licenses because it believes it is more beneficial to the city, said Mayor Dan Cougill.

“We will support a restaurant license,” Cougill said. “But we will have to really seriously look at any other type of license.”

At last week’s City Council meeting, the council approved changing a class E package license to another class D restaurant license. The restaurant license was given to Dan Sebright for a restaurant he is currently building on E Street.

After awarding the city’s final liquor license to Dan Sebright, whose restaurant has not yet been named, Cougill said the City Council would consider adding another restaurant liquor license if a restaurant were to apply for it. However, Cougill sees problems with having too many licenses awarded to bars.

Cougill said he would like to limit the amount of bars that come into Charleston because it creates negative competition between the bars. The drink specials at bars keep getting cheaper and cheaper, which is a problem, he said.

When the bar entry age in Charleston was 19, the liquor task force reviewed the liquor licenses in town and found that the majority of licenses were for bars, Cougill said. The members of the liquor task force believed it would be a more positive improvement for the town if they had more restaurant licenses.

There are five different types of liquor licenses that the city can grant a business: class A, purchase of alcohol for consumption on and off premises; class B, alcohol at a club; class C, alcohol consumption on premises of a bar; class D, alcohol can be served with food; and class E, package liquor can be sold only.

The city now has 10 restaurant licenses in use by Angie’s Pizza, What’s Cookin’, E.L. Krackers, Pagliai’s Pizza, Jerry’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Worthington Inn, El Rancherito, The Station, The Mad Hadder’s Tea and Sebright’s restaurant. The city has only five class A licenses, five class B licenses, six class C licenses and seven class E licenses, Cougill said.