Wilkes-Barre City Council approves liquor license for new downtown restaurant

WILKES-BARRE — Two alcohol-related matters were at the top of the agenda — and residents’ minds — Wilkes-Barre City Council’s regular meeting Thursday.

The first of these matters was the transfer of a liquor license from Edwardsville to 77 Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, the future site of La Choza del Sabor. The Ecuadorian restaurant’s owner, John Cantos, was introduced to council members by Attorney Francis J. Hoegen.

Cantos brought a restaurant menu with him to the meeting, allowing council members to confirm the stated principles of La Choza del Sabor, which Cantos described as “family-owned and family-run.”

Cantos said that there are 42 seats in the restaurant, which is the same number of people that could comfortably fit within its walls. He anticipated that the restaurant would be, at least temporarily, open six days a week — closed Mondays — from lunchtime to 10 p.m. on weekdays and lunchtime to 11 p.m. on weekends.

Cantos confirmed the liquor license is only of interest so that restaurant patrons can drink alcohol while they are on the premises of La Choza del Sabor. He said that people will not be able to walk in from the street, buy alcohol and leave.

Councilwoman Jessica McClay raised some concern over the potential for changes in policy from the restaurant, specifically in regards to takeout becoming an option for customers within the next year.

Hoegen acknowledged that while a policy change is possible, the council had Cantos’ word that the restaurant would be a wholesome locale. Hoegen directly referenced the nearby Anthracite Newstand, which also has a liquor license, as a business Cantos is deliberately trying not to replicate.

Hoegen’s reference to the Anthracite did not come out of nowhere. Earlier in the council meeting, during a public comment segment, city resident Angel Mathis noted that loiterers looking to use a bathroom often travel from the Anthracite Newstand to the Wilkes-Barre Senior Center. Neither the Anthracite nor the senior center have public restrooms, but Cantos said that La Choza del Sabor will.

Mathis’ main concern was that the liquor license would cause a migrating flow of guests between La Choza del Sabor and the Anthracite, which Mathis called “a nightmare.”

The council unanimously approved the liquor license transfer, though McClay offered her affirmative vote with a hint of trepidation.

“I really am going to trust your testimony that it’s not going to become takeout,” McClay said to Cantos. “I just want to state that I really do hope that in six months to a year, it’s not a takeout and it stays in-house.”

Rockin’ the River

The second alcohol-related measure on the table at Thursday’s meeting was in reference to the suspension of open consumption provisions on alcohol throughout the city for three summer days.

The days in question were July 12, 19 and 26, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., which coincide with this year’s Rockin’ the River concert series’ dates and times.

The suspension of the open consumption provisions will only apply to the Millennium Circle area of the city’s Riverfront Common. Per the council, and in line with previous years, the area will be patrolled by the Wilkes-Barre Police Department during the event hours.

Sam Troy, a frequent council meeting attendee and an opponent to both alcohol-related matters, took issue with what he saw as a haphazard effort to inject the element of alcohol into Rockin’ the River. He questioned how the event planners would keep the event under control.

“How do you measure the effects, the insidious effects, the subtle effects, that serving booze at this concert can have?” Troy theorized that guests would leave the event drunk and would cause damage in the area, leaving the city liable.

McClay clarified that the city would not be held liable in the case of an alcohol-related incident caused by a Rockin’ the River attendee. She said the relevant insurance matters are handled by the event’s vendors.

Council Chairman Bill Barrett refuted Troy’s suggestion that the event itself is handled carelessly.

“Believe me: If there’s any place that you want to misbehave, that’s not the place,” Barrett said in defense of Rockin’ the River’s execution. “It is extremely well-run.”

Special recognition

Outside of the typical council business, Councilman Stan Mirin presented Mann Patel, a senior at Wilkes-Barre Area High School, with a note of special recognition. Patel moved from India to the United States with his family in 2004, and is the valedictorian of his senior class.

Patel is the president of the Future Business Leaders of America and the Spanish National Honor Society, and participates in a host of other extracurricular activities. He will receive his associate’s degree from Luzerne County Community College later this month, and was awarded the Presidential Scholarship from King’s College, which will pay for his tuition in full.