White Spot Cafe's new owners ask the state for the diner's beer and wine license

The new owners of the White Spot Cafe, the downtown Anchorage diner whose menu warns customers not to "challenge the cook protocol," go before the state liquor board Tuesday to take over its beer and wine license.

State staff recommend approval, and the Anchorage Assembly also takes it up that day. The license would pass from Carla Dodds and John Bridges to Derrick and Taylor Stickman.

The menu the Stickmans filed with their application lays out the house rules. Know what you want, and don't ask a bunch of questions. Order for yourself. No choice on toast; it's wheat. "Our sign says 1959, but The White Spot has been a landmark since 1946," it adds, and it quotes USA Today calling the halibut sandwich "the must-try sandwich in Alaska."

The license lets the cafe sell beer and wine to drink on site. The Stickmans' draft list is local only, including Matanuska Brewing's Arctic Warrior and King Street IPA, with house wine and a "Beer-Mosa" of ale and orange juice on the side. The cafe reported in its 2026 renewal that food made up more than 98% of its sales.

Under the application, the White Spot would be open 7 am to 3 pm Monday through Saturday.