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Mount Airy restaurant seeks to extend dining space; Carroll County panel OKs pending lease and health sign-off
Summary
Upper Deck Sports Bar and Grill owner proposed reopening an interior doorway to add about 50 seats by taking over the downstairs space now leased to another eatery; the Board of License Commissioners gave provisional approval pending review of a separate lease and a final health‑department inspection.
Leonardo Saro, owner of Upper Deck Sports Bar and Grill in Mount Airy, asked the Carroll County Board of License Commissioners on June 27 to allow his business to reopen an interior entrance and absorb an adjacent restaurant space into his operation.
Saro told the board the project would recreate a former opening between the two storefronts, give Upper Deck a street‑level presence on Main Street and add about 50 seats to the existing roughly 5,000‑square‑foot facility, which currently seats about 200 people. "So we just wanna remove that drywall to allow that entrance," Saro said, describing the work as restoring an old passage that had been closed when the two businesses separated.
The request drew routine regulatory questions about hours, staffing, accessibility and food‑service approvals. Commissioner Mulvaney asked whether the downstairs area would be open when the upper level is — Saro replied that the lower room would operate simultaneously with the top floor and be closed for private events. The board confirmed that the kitchen, suppression systems and other fire and health details will need inspection and approval. "The suppression system, things of that nature will have to get confirmed," Saro said.
The board voiced no opposition to the expansion in principle but placed two conditions before giving final approval: review of any separate lease covering the downstairs space and a final health‑department inspection. "We'd like to see the lease before we give final approval," the chairman said, and Commissioner Barnhart added that the health‑department sign‑off discussed at the meeting must be completed.
Why it matters: The change would increase downtown restaurant seating and add street‑level commercial frontage on Main Street, affecting nearby parking and Main Street event planning. The board emphasized that the county's permitting and health‑inspection processes must be satisfied before the expansion may operate as an alcohol‑serving restaurant.
What happens next: Saro said the lower space would be a separate five‑year lease and would not be combined with Upper Deck's current lease; the board asked to review that lease before granting final authorization. The board also said the applicant must complete any required kitchen and fire‑suppression inspections and submit evidence of those approvals to county staff.
Clarifying details: Saro said the restaurant has been in his family's ownership for about 10 years, the existing facility is "a little over 5,000 square feet" with roughly 200 seats, and the downstairs addition would add about 50 seats. The downstairs bar area is smaller than the upstairs bar and will operate with staff who are 21 and alcohol‑management trained, Saro said. The exact lease terms and the health‑department inspection date were not specified at the meeting.
