Liquor by the

drink is now available in Fayetteville.

After three

restaurants saw their applications approved last week by the City Council,

a representative of Applebee's said Monday night that state licensing

would be approved in time for that establishment to begin pouring today.

Malone's hopes

to join Applebee's within the next few days. "We hope [to be pouring]

this week," according to a manager, who added that his establishment

was waiting on the go-ahead from the state. "But you never know."

Coba, a new

Mexican restaurant opening at Banks Station, also was approved by the

city at the same time it received a beer and wine license. Coba has not

yet opened and its representatives could not be reached for comment.

After all of

the controversy surrounding last November's referendum that legalized

distilled spirits in the city, the initial applications were approved

last Thursday night with very little council discussion and no public

comments. In fact, Malone's didn't bother to send a representative to

the meeting, and neither did Coba.

A district

representative of Applebee's told council Thursday night that if state

licensing procedures went smoothly, pouring could commence as soon as

Monday night.

City officials

have not been expecting a stampede by local business owners for liquor

license applications, since the City Council imposed strict guidelines

governing such things as the ratio of liquor sales to food sales, and

set a $5,000 license fee. A few local restaurant owners have suggested

that they will not bother applying for a license because they are unsure

if they can recoup their investments.

In setting

these guidelines, council members have repeatedly said for the record

that they want liquor consumed in restaurants and not in bars, and they

have gone to great lengths to see that bars are not coming to town anytime

soon.