Funeral home applies for liquor license as etiquette expert shares her take

The owner of an Ohio funeral home that recently applied for a liquor license said the move has sparked conversation among funeral industry insiders as they look to make their venues more personable to family and friends of the deceased. 

Hunter Triplett, owner and CEO of Evergreen Funeral, Cremation and Reception in Columbus, Ohio, told Fox News Digital that he grew up in the cemetery business and was exposed to a variety of funeral homes over the years.

One thing he kept noticing was that people would often go from a funeral or memorial service to a bar, restaurant or event space to continue honoring their loved one. 

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“The idea of the liquor license is so that we can have a champagne (toast) on behalf of a loved one, as well as, you know, if somebody had a signature cocktail that they were always seen with,” said Triplett. 

Evergreen Funeral, Cremation and Reception, set to open in 2025, is in the location of a former chocolate factory, Triplett told Fox News Digital. He said there is “ample space” within the building for a reception following a memorial service. 

“The idea was just to stand out among the other funeral homes in the area by offering services like this,” he continued. 

The facility also has a “robust” kitchen, meaning that catering for funeral receptions will also be available. 

“It’s a reception center within a funeral home,” he said. 

Speaking to families of the recently deceased, Triplett found that “a lot of them like the celebration of life. They like the humanistic aspects of the way the funeral service is going,” he said. 

“And I think you have to follow what the consumer says.” 

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He said the response to the media attention regarding his liquor license application has been largely positive, both from residents of central Ohio and others in the funeral industry. 

“Other funeral professionals have asked me, ‘How can I do the same that you are?'” Triplett told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the National Funeral Directors Association seeking comment.

Some other funeral homes said they’ve had success making alcohol available to grieving family members and friends.

Jon Kolssak, owner of Kolssak Funeral Home in Wheeling, Illinois, north of Chicago, told Fox News Digital he’s recently started doing mimosa memorials at the request of customers.

“It’s not about focusing on the alcohol being served,” Kolssak said. “It’s about celebrating a life well-lived.”

Kolssak’s bar can be moved, and a catering company handles the beverages so he and his team can focus on what they do best.

“It’s not a shot and a beer,” Kolssak said. “It’s an enhancement.”

Triplett also pointed out that the idea is not to turn the funeral home into a bar. 

“So there is a funeral service and a memorial service. Funeral services are where the body is present, and a memorial service is where it’s not,” he said. 

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“A lot of families are less comfortable with [an] open casket and a lot of them have an urn up at the front and say a kind of final word.” 

It would be this sort of more casual environment where the bar would be available, he said.

Alcohol will not be available, however, if a family opts to do a series of events in different locations, such as a visitation, a funeral and then a burial. 

“We won’t offer [alcohol service] because people will be driving from one facility to another,” he said. 

“The only time it will be offered is when the services that are provided stay at this facility and only on [these] premises until the end.” 

Families can also opt against alcohol service if they do not want to have it at a memorial, Triplett said. 

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“The bar is on wheels,” he said. “We can roll it away if somebody is uncomfortable with it.” 

Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, told Fox News Digital that “it’s not the norm” to be offered alcohol at a funeral home – and it comes with the risk of suggesting a bar or party atmosphere.

“Having an open bar at a funeral home sets a different tone,” she said.

Triplett stressed that it’s a traditional funeral home.

“We’re just offering food and drink services that enhance and help the personalization aspect of a funeral service,” he said. 

Evergreen Funeral, Cremation and Reception has not yet been approved for a liquor license, according to the Ohio Liquor Control’s permit database. 

Three other Ohio funeral homes, which also have on-site event space for receptions, have been previously granted liquor licenses, per the Ohio Liquor Control’s database.