Beer License Approved For Pops On The River; Soft-Spoken Applicant To Try Rossville Boulevard Bar

  • Thursday, July 2, 2015
  • Gail Perry

Pops on the River, the annual Fourth of July concert by the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, will have food and beverages, including beer, available at Coolidge Park. The City Beer Board Thursday morning issued a special event permit to sell beer at the concert Saturday night.

 

This year the lineup for the evening is different than in the past when only the CSO performed.

There will be three groups, all honoring veterans, performing prior to the symphony and the event will begin earlier - at 5 p.m.  Song writers from Operation Song, a pilot music therapy program for veterans, will be showcased. Ironglide, a rock band, and Mitch Russell, a country singer, will also perform. The CSO will begin at 8 p.m. and there will be fireworks at the end of the concert.

 

City Attorney Keith Reisman noted that this will be a “dynamite weekend” if it does not rain. Scheduled for Friday night is a continuation of the Bessie Smith Strut to be held in conjunction with the Nightfall concert at Miller Plaza. There will be two great days of music for Chattanooga, he said.

 

A soft-spoken young lady with no experience in operating a bar applied for a beer license at Acapulco Bar at 2925 Rossville Blvd. She told the board she would be the sole employee, but would have contract security on site. The building is certified to seat 49 people and she said smoking would not be allowed, which means customers under the age of 21 can get in.

 

Stating that the location is a rough area, Chairman of the Board Ron Smith told her that it was a big undertaking for just one person with no experience to manage, “I’m wrestling with it,” he said.  If an applicant meets all the qualifications to receive a beer permit, it is unusual if one is not granted. When asked if a permit could be denied even though she met the mechanical requirements, Attorney Reisman answered that the board is a citizen committee that must weigh all the facts and it could be denied if the board felt she should not have it. “I understand the hesitation,” he said.

 

Board member Christopher Keene said that she deserves the chance to open the business and should not be denied the license just because she is quiet. He added that she also should not suffer for the sins of Rossville Boulevard. In a vote of four in favor and two opposed, the license was granted. The business will be open from 9 p.m. -2:30 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Chili’s Grill and Bar at 123 Northgate Mall was cited to the board for serving a minor on March 18. The violation was discovered during a compliance check made by the Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission. The restaurant has had two previous violations for the same issue, once in 2000 and again in 2001. A new manager, Franco Gunnell, was brought in to change the culture after the most recent infraction.

 

 Mr. Gunnell agreed that the violation occurred and Robert Penson, the attorney representing Chili’s, told the board of actions that have been taken to prevent underage sales in the future, including retraining all employees in beer sales, termination of both the server and general manager, self compliance checks and the use of ID scanners.

 

Attorney Reisman advised the board that a state law would apply which requires all local beer boards to issue penalties of the same nature and duration as the state ABC board has issued for a violation. The ABC license was suspended for Chili’s for 15 days in June, so a 15-day suspension was unanimously given for the beer license. The suspension will begin July 9 and end on July 23.

 

 

 

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