MINUTES BEER BOARD MEETING MAY 2, 2017 The City of Jackson (TN) Beer Board met at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Board members present were Charles Pepper Bray, Harvey Buchanan, and Charles Rahm (Chairman). Also present were: Mr. Lewis Cobb, Esq. City s Legal Counsel Major Thom Corley City Police Department Ms. Anita Brooks, recorder of the minutes Lieutenant Gary Benton City Police Department Mr. David Thomas, news reporter with WNWS-FM Radio, and Mr. Omer Yusuf, newspaper reporter with the Jackson Sun Ms. Angela Collins-Turner, City Business License and Beer Permit Clerk The meeting was called to order. On the motion of Board member Bray, seconded by Board member Buchanan, the minutes of the April 4, 2017, Beer Board Meeting were approved. Chairman Rahm sought City Attorney Lewis Cobb s legal opinion on the following business matters: (1) Inquiry from the City of Jackson Business License and Beer Permit Clerk regarding an individual that is going to be remodeling his store and is going to be closed for six months. The individual wants to know whether he needs to turn in his beer permit. Mr. Cobb asked what the purpose of remodeling is; is it change of seating, change of floor space. Ms. Angela Collins- Turner stated the business is a convenience store. Mr. Cobb asked Ms. Collins-Turner for the name of the business and she replied, It is Star 24 Management at 236 Oil Well Road; they closed on the 21 st and the owner said they will be closed for six months just to remodel. Mr. Cobb asked Ms. Collins-Turner to have the owner to contact him so he can find out the details of what the owner is doing. (2) The owner of a business known as Dino s, located at 210 East Lafayette Street, has still not paid his $5,000 alcohol tax. Mr. Cobb stated that this ought to be a trigger for enforcement action by the Beer Board but he was not sure and will have to look into this matter further. BEER PERMIT APPLICATIONS: A beer permit application was presented for consideration by Abby Marie Lackey for a special occasion permit to sell, store and serve beer at a fundraising event known -1-
as the Twilight Run and Downtown Rendezvous on June 8, 2017, at the West Tennessee Farmers Market. The event is a nonprofit fundraiser for the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation. Abby Marie Lackey was present. Chairman Rahm stated that in looking over Ms. Lackey s application for a beer permit, it appears that she is working with the Jackson Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff s Office to have the security that she feels they are going to need and she replied, Yes sir. Chairman Rahm asked Ms. Lackey if this is her first year to apply for the beer permit and she replied, It is. Chairman Rahm then asked Ms. Lackey if she had any questions in regards to the sale of beer and she stated that she did not believe she had any questions but she might have questions when it gets closer to the time of the event. Board member Buchanan asked Ms. Lackey how the organization will identify people for age appropriateness before the sale of beer at the event. Ms. Lackey stated that they are going to use wristbands. Ms. Lackey also stated that they are going to have a licensed bartender that has been a volunteer so she imagines the licensed bartender will be the person they will have checking identification cards for them. Mr. Cobb stated that as he understands it, the organization is part of the West Tennessee Healthcare umbrella but they have a separate fund. Ms. Lackey stated that they are a fund of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation. Mr. Cobb asked Ms. Lackey if she is the fund representative and she replied, I am. Mr. Cobb encouraged Ms. Lackey to contact Major Thom Corley of the Jackson Police Department if she has questions about security or procedures for the event. On the motion of Board member Buchanan, seconded by Board member Bray, Ms. Lackey s request was unanimously approved. Next, a beer permit application was presented for consideration by Richard Clayton Hughes for a business known as Tap Bar and Grill, LLC located at 719 Old Hickory -2-
Boulevard for selling, storing and serving beer on the premises where sold. Richard Clayton Hughes was present. Chairman Rahm stated that the business known as Tap Bar and Grill has been located at 719 Old Hickory Boulevard for quite a while and Mr. Hughes replied, Just over five years now. Chairman Rahm asked Mr. Hughes if he is purchasing or has he already purchased the business. Mr. Hughes stated that after the current ownership close the business down, he will re-open as a new business at the same business location. Chairman Rahm asked Mr. Hughes if he will be keeping the same business staff and Mr. Hughes replied, Yes sir. Chairman Rahm then asked Mr. Hughes if he is aware of his kitchen manager s past issues and Mr. Hughes stated that he was not. Chairman Rahm advised Mr. Hughes that his kitchen manager s past issues may be something he will probably want to address since his kitchen manager is listed on his beer permit application as part of his management staff. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes if he has owned and operated a bar before. Mr. Hughes stated he has been in the bar business for twelve years straight. Mr. Hughes further stated that he was employed at Chili s Restaurant for ten years; he did not bartend at Chili s but he did work there as a hourly manager and along with that, he used to bartend on weekends at the Big Kahuna, Taboo and the Tap Bar and Grill. Mr. Hughes stated that at one time he was working at both Taboo and the Tap Bar and Grill and he ended up staying with the Tap Bar and Grill. Mr. Hughes also stated that at most of his bar jobs, he always reached manager status but he has never been the owner of a bar. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes for the occupancy capacity, the size of the building and the number of parking spaces available for the Tap Bar and Grill. Mr. Hughes stated that he believes the occupancy capacity for the Tap Bar and Grill was at 136 but now that they have added on a patio out back, he believes the occupancy limit is up to either 156 or 166 and he believes the building is roughly 1900 square feet on the inside. -3-
Mr. Hughes further stated that parking can be an issue sometime but after 5 or 6 o clock when other businesses on their strip close, their customers will use the closed businesses parking lot for parking and during overflow of business people will also park in the King Tire Company parking lot after they have closed at the end of the day. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes if the owners of King Tire Company were okay with people parking in their parking lot and he replied, They absolutely are. Mr. Hughes further stated that their customers have also parked their vehicles in the K-Mart parking lot and they have never received a complaint from K-Mart or King Tire Company regarding their customers using their parking lot. Mr. Cobb stated that he knows the owner of the Tap Bar and Grill has started having live entertainment at the location and he asked Mr. Hughes how that is going, with respect to dealing with crowds and dealing with the building occupancy limit. Mr. Hughes stated that they are not really a big venue for having bigger bands where they would necessarily pack the house and when they do, it has been for a special occasion. Mr. Hughes further stated that they have open microphone every Tuesday and Thursday, and every Saturday they usually have a local band to perform at the location. Mr. Hughes also stated that they do not have live music on Friday nights and it seems just as many people come out to the business. Mr. Cobb advised Mr. Hughes of the overcrowding issues with too little security at businesses that were located in the vicinity of the Tap Bar and Grill. Mr. Hughes stated that a lot of the businesses in his line of business have closed down recently and even though he brought in extra door men on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he always has someone at the door on Fridays and Saturdays, it will probably be in his immediate structure to go ahead and add an extra security person on Fridays and Saturdays. Mr. Cobb stated that back when there were several bar businesses located in the Hamilton Hills Shopping Center, some of the -4-
problems that occurred were from people walking from venue to venue and leaving heavy complications in the parking lot. Mr. Hughes stated that the Tap Bar and Grill is kind of like a Cheers type of bar and not a night club and when people leave the Tap Bar and Grill to go down the hill to another establishment in the area, they usually do not see them again that night. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes for his days and hours of operation particularly on weekends. Mr. Hughes stated that currently the Tap Bar and Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day with the exception of Sunday where they open at noon, and when he takes over the business, he will switch to being open from noon to 3:00 a.m. every day. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes if they have much of a crowd after 11 p.m. during the week. Mr. Hughes stated that here lately yes, sales have been up every day but it is not unmanageable. Mr. Hughes further stated that on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, he has only one bartender, one cocktail waitress and one cook on staff at the business and he does not seem to have a service problem or a crowd problem on those nights. Mr. Hughes also stated that Tuesday and Thursday nights do seem to be busier. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hughes if he is going to get an alcohol license for his business and Mr. Hughes stated that he is currently waiting for the approval of a liquor license from the State. Chairman Rahm asked Mr. Hughes when he planned to take over the business. Mr. Hughes stated that the completion of the business sale will take place within a week of him obtaining a beer permit and liquor license. Mr. Cobb stated that Mr. Hughes can seek approval of his request contingent upon the closing of the business sale. Mr. Cobb then advised Mr. Hughes that it is important for him to report the ownership change to the City. On the motion of Board member Bray, seconded by Board member Buchanan, the request was unanimously approved contingent upon Mr. Hughes informing the City -5-
of the exact date of his taking over the business so the old beer permit can be surrendered and the new beer permit can be issued. OTHER BUSINESS: A business name change request was presented to the Board for consideration by William Diamond. Mr. Diamond is requesting to change his business name from Sharky s Bistro and Brew, Inc. doing business as The Wingery to Sharky s Bistro and Brew Inc. doing business as Slide-N-Ride Tavern. The business is located at 595 Old Hickory Boulevard. The permit type of selling, storing and serving beer on the premises where sold will remain the same. William Diamond was present. Chairman Rahm asked Mr. Diamond if there is anything happening at his business besides the name change and Mr. Diamond replied, No, sir. Mr. Diamond stated that it is a branding thing for them which will enable them to negotiate better prices from vendors and enable them to get better insurance rates. Mr. Diamond further stated that a business next door to his business recently shut down and immediately within the first couple of weeks of the business shutting down, he had a tremendous drop in traffic to the shopping center. Mr. Diamond also stated that there is no night club in the shopping center anymore, just them, O Charley s and Zen Steak House, and he kind of saw the writing on the wall with the drop in traffic and thought he needed to do a little crossbranding; they have a strong brand in other counties and he thought changing the business name would allow people to identify with the brand when they come to Jackson to do retail shopping or to eat dinner which will allow him to generate business. Chairman Rahm asked Mr. Cobb if he had any questions or concerns for Mr. Diamond. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond if his other business known as Slide-N-Ride is still open and Mr. Diamond replied, Yes sir. Mr. Cobb then asked Mr. Diamond if he is going to have two businesses called Slide-N-Ride. Mr. Diamond stated that technically -6-
these businesses are totally separate and the ownership is different one is a night club and this business will be more of a bar and grill that will appeal to a different age group. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond if the operation of this particular business under the name change of Slide-N-Ride going to cause confusion to beer wholesalers and Mr. Diamond replied, No sir, we have to operate under totally separate revenue accounts, keep a different set of books, have different licenses for the State and also with the City, so everything is completely separate. Mr. Diamond also stated that this particular business is a corporation that has been in business since 2005 versus the other business location which is a LLC with a different group of owners. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond if there is going to be some cross pollination or similar events at the two Slide- N-Ride businesses in Jackson. Mr. Diamond replied, Not really. Mr. Diamond further stated that he is hoping to either get some parents or older siblings of patrons that frequent his other business places. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond if he still owns a business known as Slide-N-Ride in Martin, Tennessee, and Mr. Diamond replied, Yes, sir. Mr. Cobb then asked Mr. Diamond if he owned other businesses known as Slide-N- Ride anywhere else and Mr. Diamond replied, Yes sir, we have a tavern just like this at Paris Landing in the resort area and it is strictly a bar and grill with the darts, pool tables, jukebox and a lot of eating; we attract an older clientele there. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond what does the name Slide and Ride refer to. Mr. Diamond stated that the name Slide and Ride is in reference to his initial business in Martin, Tennessee, a big rodeo town where they put in an actual bull riding arena inside the night club. Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Diamond if the size of his tavern located in the Hamilton Hills Shopping Center going to stay the same and Mr. Diamond replied, Yes sir. On the motion of Board member Buchanan, seconded by Board member Bray, Mr. Diamond s request to -7-
change his business name to Sharky s Bistro and Brew Inc. doing business as Slide-N- Ride Tavern was unanimously approved. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. CHARLES RAHM, CHAIRMAN -8-