Tuesday, September 17, 2024–10:50 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The third time was the charm for the applicant seeking a new beer, wine, and liquor pouring license for 325 Broad Street.
On Monday, the Rome Alcohol Control Commission approved the licenses for Guljar Singh who plans to open a new establishment called Peachy Pub in the building.
The application first came before the ACC in June. However, at that time the ACC was not satisfied with Mr. Singh’s presentation and requested that he return to the July meeting with more detailed information regarding the planned operation of this business. Singh was out of town and unable to attend the July meeting, however, he did attend the August meeting, along with other business associates. Once again, the ACC wanted more information and moved to table this request until Monday’s meeting.
“Prior to Monday’s meeting we had asked for specific documents for the applicant to submit–things such as their menu, information about their kitchen equipment, their security plan, and kind of a general outline of what they plan for entertainment,” said Rome City Clerk Joe Smith. “They did submit those and they were there for the third time Monday and the ACC did grant approval of the licenses subject to the submission of a valid food service permit, along with a certificate of occupancy to be approved by the building inspector and the fire marshal.
Smith added it was his understanding that there are significant issues that had to be corrected related to fire safety requirements.
Another issue has been the difficulty that businesses at that location have had meeting the city’s 50-50 food-to-drink ratio. The most recent was Peaches, which eventually closed.
“The ACC cautioned about that and continued their discussion, pointing out one of the obvious facts about that building—it is a large venue and it has been used as an entertainment venue in the past,” Smith said. “The applicant plans to continue to use it as an entertainment venue, but it has a small kitchen. They were cautioned that it is going to take substantial effort on their part to promote food sales to the level that will offset their liquor sales.”
The applicant was also advised to maintain excellent records regarding the amount of food and alcohol sold, as well as invoices for their food and alcohol purchases for when it comes time for the city to conduct an audit.
The applicant hopes to open around Thanksgiving.
Also Monday, the ACC approved the issuance of a new beer pouring license to Chen Minghui for New China Buffett in Gala Shopping Center at 2529 Redmond Circle. The building was the site of Po Folks many years ago.