Beers are back at the newly-relaunched Weymouth restaurant The Loft after the owner obtained a temporary licence to serve alcohol.
The quayside restaurant opened on Friday, April 28 ahead of a bank holiday weekend, but discovered that licensing issues from the handover of the previous owner left them unable to sell alcohol.
Owner Gary Pullin said at the time he would be applying for a temporary licence to sell alcohol, with the restaurant urging customers to 'bring your own booze' until then.
The temporary licence has now been approved and the restaurant is selling alcohol again as of Thursday, May 11.
They will seek to obtain a full licence in due course.
New owners at The Loft The Loft in Weymouth. Pictured: Gary and Stephanie Pullin, Ryan Pullin and Taya Pullin (Image: Kieran Bell)
Mr Pullin said it has been a "frustrating" two weeks but he is "raring to go" with alcohol now available alongside food at the restaurant.
He said: "We are really looking forward to it, it has been a relief for myself and my family.
"It has been tough, we were all set to open on a bank holiday weekend and we have now had to without being able to sell alcohol.
"It has easily cost us thousands of pounds, when you see the other bars on the harbour they were packed and people want to be on the harbour drinking, not carrying shopping bags into a restaurant."
Despite the hard times, Mr Pullin has been full of praise for Dorset Council and the licensing team which worked with him to obtain a temporary licence.
He said: "The licensing team have been amazing, they invited me and my son to County Hall, we sat down and they went through everything with us.
"I can't ask for any more from them, they were fantastic."
The views from The Loft in Weymouth (Image: Kieran Bell)
Mr Pullin also thanked to customers who had been patient and understanding about their 'bring your own alcohol policy'.
He said: "It actually went down really well, some people were even asking if it could continue.
"With money being so tight, it helped out quite a few people, especially with kids a meal and drinks can be quite expensive and every little helps.
"We provided all the glasses for everyone and it seemed to go down well.
"Obviously we couldn't continue it long term, with the cost of rental and bills it is just not feasible.
"We are now just really really looking forward to being open properly and looking forward to the future."
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