Late liquor license renewal leaves Pepino’s dry
08.07.2008 05:00
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- Source: JS Online
Brookfield - The Fourth of July holiday weekend was a dry one for Pepino's in Brookfield, whose liquor license expired June 30 after the business was late in filing its license renewal forms. The earliest that alcohol could be flowing again at the Italian restaurant and pizzeria is Wednesday, the day after aldermen will meet to vote on renewing Pepino’s annual license. Tonight is the first time since Pepino’s license expired that a quorum of 10 of the city’s 14 aldermen was available to attend a special meeting. Joseph Armeli, who owns the Pepino’s chain and Joe Armeli’s Meat’N Place, a white-tablecloth restaurant in Stone Bank, could not be reached for comment. But his son, Joe Armeli, who manages the Brookfield Pepino’s at 17065 W. Capitol Drive, said it was an administrative oversight and that customers have been understanding. “We had just gotten rid of some people upstairs in our office and that was put off on the side,” Armeli said of the license renewal paperwork. “We were a day late, a dollar short. “We just have to sit and take our lumps,” Armeli added. Armeli said the impact was lessened because the Fourth of July weekend is historically slow because of family barbecues and Summerfest. He said Pepino’s also relies more on food receipts than bar revenue. City Clerk Kris Schmidt said the city mails reminder letters to liquor license holders in April. State statute requires municipalities to wait at least 15 days after receiving a renewal application to vote on it, she said. That gives the community time to check the business’ record and publish renewal requests in the official newspaper. The deadline was June 2, in time for the council’s regularly scheduled June 17 meeting. When Pepino’s didn’t file, the city sent another letter June 4. Pepino’s filed its application June 12. Schmidt said she tried to find a time aldermen could meet before June 30, including a Saturday meeting June 28. A quorum initially was available June 29, but then one alderman’s father died and the member was unable to attend. “We don’t want to shut anybody down, but there’s no alternative,” she said. Aldermen have had to hold special meetings in the past to approve late-filing liquor license renewals, she said. But this is the first time a city meeting couldn’t be scheduled before the business’ license had expired, Schmidt said.
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