Dog Central waits for approval to serve beer
Dog Central is one step closer to serving beer, but the timeline is uncertain.
At Monday's Mount Pleasant City Commission meeting, commissioners discussed and approved a redevelopment liquor license for the downtown restaurant.
“I think this is a good idea for our downtown. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses that start downtown don’t last long. I think Dog Central has proven their staying power and this will only make them stronger,” said city commissioner Tony Kulick at the meeting.
While its main focus will still be food, owner Paul McFall said in a statement to the commission that the restaurant would serve an "extensive" canned beer line up, featuring happy hours and dollar hours on certain beers. McFall plans to cut off alcohol sales at 1 a.m. to avoid problems with underage drinking and drunk customers. He doesn't anticipate an increase in noise or traffic with the change.
"I'm waiting on some paperwork from the city. It's just a big stack of papers that the city has approved me for the liquor license," McFall said. "Then I (will) send it to the (Liquor Control) commission with my application and wait to hear back. I don't know how long this process will take. Once we have it in hand there will just be minor alterations (in the restaurant). It would be awesome if we could serve beer this fall, but I don't know if that's possible yet."
The restaurant's next step is to forward everything on to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for approval, said Downtown Development Director Michelle Sponseller.
At a December meeting, a special use permit allowing Dog Central to obtain a liquor license through the Michigan Liquor Control Commission was unanimously approved by commissioners. This was the first of three steps before the business could begin to serve alcohol. It must obtain a liquor license to be classified as a Class I restaurant, or one that makes more than 50 percent of its profit from food sales, while also selling alcohol.
Once that step is completed, Sponseller forwards it to city staff for review. These officials confirm that the request meets all necessary qualifications, such as zoning and paid taxes.
"(The licenses) are based on the amount of investment in the district, so I have to review the building permits and city projects within the last five years," Sponseller said.
McFall must send his various approvals along with a $20,000 fee to the MLCC so it can start its review process, Sponseller said. The commission will work closely with the restaurant on the construction of liquor service, enforcement and training. Once this is complete, the license is approved.
Feedback from customers and other business owners downtown has been largely positive, McFall said.
"Everybody has been saying it'll be a cool addition to the restaurant," he said. "Hotdogs and beer go hand in hand. Some people thought we served beer already; they just kind of assume. We've had positive feedback from business owners too."
In his statement to the commission, McFall said the 10-year plan for the restaurant involves expanding to other locations statewide. Opening in February 2011, the restaurant frequently sees out-the-door lines on weekends.
