This Weekend: Beware the Liquor Police

Subsequent to yesterday’s story on Union Trust closing its doors, probably, in part, because they can’t legally serve booze, we’ve learned about quite a few bars and restaurants whose liquor licenses are, like Union Trust’s, listed as “inactive” with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Philadelphia establishments with licenses that appear as inactive include: Table 31, Farmer’s Cabinet, Noir, Chick’s, Bridgid’s, Kennett, Roosevelt’s, Revolution House, Bishop’s Collar, Chima, Doobie’s, Philadium, Sammy Chon’s KTown BBQ, Las Bugambillias, and Lucy’s Hat Shop.

But, notes PLCB spokesperson Stacy Kriedeman, just because your license appears as inactive in the database, doesn’t mean you cannot serve alcohol, because there are sometimes circumstances in which establishments are granted temporary authority to sell.

According to Kriedeman, Table 31 falls under that provision, and they can legally sell until November 30th. But she says that the Happy Rooster and Chima appear to “have no authority” to sell wine or liquor. And now Michael Klein is reporting that the Farmer’s Cabinet is on that list.

Interestingly, representatives of the Farmer’s Cabinet and Chima both say that they have paperwork giving them the authority to sell. A bartender at the Happy Rooster suggested I call the bar’s owner, who responded “yeah, yeah, yeah” when I asked her if the Rooster was legally allowed to sell. She said she’d call me back to discuss the matter further.

Meanwhile, Kriedeman was unable to immediately provide details on the
remaining “inactives” in Philadelphia.

With all of this information now out and, more importantly, on the PLCB’s radar, we wonder if the friendly liquor police will be making their rounds this weekend.