Future Still Unclear for Several State College Bars

All seven State College bars facing license-renewal objections this year remain in some amount of limbo, an update from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board shows.

Back in January, the PLCB’s Bureau of Licensing filed liquor-license renewal objections against the Shandygaff, on the 200 block of East Calder Way; the Gingerbread Man, 130 Heister St.; 797 Sports Bar and Lounge, 244 W. College Ave.; the Lion’s Den, 116-118 S. Garner St.; the Mezzanine, 420 E. College Ave.; the Ramada Inn, 1450  S. Atherton St.; and the Phyrst, 111 E. Beaver Ave.

As of Thursday, according to the PLCB, only the Phyrst’s license renewal was conditionally approved. And that’s pending a decision on some open citations there, the PLCB noted in a written update sent to StateCollege.com.

Of the six other affected establishments, four have undergone state hearings in recent weeks. They are the Shandygaff, the Gingerbread Man, the Mezzanine and the Lion’s Den. (WJAC has covered the latest proceedings involving the Mezzanine in this video report.)

But all four are awaiting Liquor Control Board decisions on their respective licenses, according to the PLCB update. In the cases of the Gingerbread Man and the Lion’s Den, a hearing examiner’s recommendations have been shared with the board; in the cases of the Mezzanine and the Shandygaff, those recommendations have not yet been filed.

Meanwhile, a hearing for 797 Sports Bar and Lounge is scheduled for Thursday in Altoona. That establishment has not been open in some weeks, and a for-lease sign has appeared recently at the property. (Prior efforts to reach 797’s leadership were not successful.)

Likewise, the Mezzanine, which has shared some leadership with 797, announced online Wednesday that it is closed ‘voluntarily and temporarily’ for the time being. (The PLCB had conditionally approved the Mezzanine’s license renewal. But now that its president, Ketan Patel, has been sentenced in a separate court matter, the PLCB is sending an objection letter concerning that conditional renewal, according to the PLCB update.)

A hearing for the Ramada Inn has yet to be scheduled.

The PLCB has noted that its license-renewal objections are based on the bars’ respective citation histories. Most of the establishments have continued to operate normally under what the PLCB calls ‘temporary authority’ while the legal issues proceed through state channels.

PLCB spokeswoman Stacey Witalec has said that each bar appealing to retain its license could face one of several outcomes. If the PLCB, through the hearing process, agrees to let an establishment keep its license, the licensee might face state-imposed mandates, such as specialized staff training, she said.

At the same time, she said, a hearing process might not yield any leniency for an establishment to keep operating. If that’s the case, a licensee could take its case to the Commonwealth Court level for an additional appeal, Witalec said. She emphasized that each case is treated separately and uniquely.

StateCollege.com is continuing to follow the issue and will post additional information as it becomes available. Links to earlier coverage are posted below.

Earlier coverage

• State Objects to Seven State College Bar Renewals (Feb. 16, 2011)

• Police: For State College Bars, State Patty’s Day Marked ‘Turning Point’ (Feb. 17, 2011)

• Penn State: ‘Appropriate Efforts’ Welcome against ‘Irresponsible Establishments’ (Feb. 18, 2011)