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Dec. 22, 2015 By Michael Florio
A representative for a family owned restaurant believes it was treated unfairly after having its liquor license renewal application shot down by Community Board 3.
Mala Noche No, a bar and restaurant located at 39-09 104th St., went before CB3 on Thursday to renew its wine and beer license.
Mildred Sanchez, a representative of the bar and restaurant, presented the establishment as a family operated business, which opened three years ago.
“This is the family’s livelihood,” she told the Board.
However, the Board’s Business/Economic Development Committee, which handles liquor license applications, recommended denial of the request. Committee co-chair Edmund Rosenbaum said the decision was due to summonses the NYPD has issued at the establishment, as well as its perceived habit of operating as a bar while claiming to be a bar/restaurant.
The vote was passed with all but one of the board members agreeing with the decision. The board member that did not vote against the establishment’s application decided to abstain, stating, “denying a small business without meaningful discussion is a big step.”
Sanchez was not pleased with the decision.
She charged that the bar had only received two summonses, one in July and one in November. She said both were for sales to an intoxicated person, but she claimed the bar received one at 4:30 a.m., well after the bar announced last call before 4 a.m.
“We weren’t going to rip the beer out of his hand,” she said. “We were going to let him finish it and go home.”
She said the other summons occurred when a customer came already intoxicated from another establishment. She claimed that the bar called the police regarding this customer and when the cops showed up they issued the bar a ticket.
The establishment tries to work with the police and has not had any other incidents, Sanchez continued. She believes the bar should have been approved.
“The board had their mind made up before we even sat down,” Sanchez told the Jackson Heights Post. “They didn’t give us a fair chance and I don’t understand why.”
Sanchez said the owners would go forward with the application.
“They probably cannot stay in business without the license,” she said.
She also said the SLA inspected the location just weeks ago and everything went smoothly.
After the meeting, Rosenbaum told the Jackson Heights Post that the establishment is just a bar that serves food, but claims to be a restaurant on its application.
“It is outside its method of operation,” he added. “Their records say they are a restaurant, but they’re not.”
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2 Comments
Damn there was good coke over there
How is this place different then the other 25 or 30 bars that do the same thing. Someone didn’t pay the right person. So more people out of work. Nice