Odds not good for new bar in Hungry Horse

With the Dam Town Tavern closing in Hungry Horse later this spring, the odds of someone opening another full liquor license bar in town seem slim.

The problem is that most of Hungry Horse, which includes all of what one would consider “downtown” is within the Columbia Falls full liquor license quota area. The edge of the boundary encompasses the town and runs to just before the Hungry Horse Dam Road.

“A review of the current quota for all alcoholic beverages located in the Columbia Falls quota area reveals there are no additional licenses available for this area, which includes Hungry Horse,” Moreen Swingley

Licensing Bureau Chief for the Department of Revenue explained in an email to the newspaper. “If a person wanted to operate an all beverages license in Hungry Horse they would need to purchase and transfer of ownership and location of an existing all beverages license in the Columbia Falls quota area. It is important to note that the purchase and transfer of an existing license must be approved by the department prior to the transfer of any funds or the actual license and its privileges.”