Owner of MK Ranch Bar and Grill asks Warrenton to allow city liquor license before final inspection

Warrenton — Mike Ebersol, owner of MK Ranch Bar and Grill, told the Warrenton Board of Aldermen on April 1 that his new restaurant cannot open because city process requires a business license before a city liquor license application can be submitted.

Ebersol said his business already has a state liquor license in hand and a county liquor license issued after he presented the state license. “We have already obtained a state and a county liquor license,” Ebersol said. He told the board that the city requires a business license before a city liquor license can be applied for, and that a new-construction business cannot obtain a business license until after final inspection.

That timing, Ebersol said, prevents him from buying inventory, setting up a point-of-sale system, or training staff before a projected completion date of about June 1. “If I have to sit idle for 6 weeks after construction is completed to open our building that would kill us,” he said, adding that the delay would prevent him from employing about 35 staff members he expects to have on payroll when open. He told the board he currently has 21 staff lined up and expects to reach 35 at opening.

Ebersol asked the board to consider allowing MK Ranch to obtain its city liquor license before the final inspection so the business can begin ordering inventory and training employees. The construction manager for the project was present in the meeting to attest to the June 1 completion estimate.

Board members did not take formal action on Ebersol’s request during the meeting; the comment was recorded during the public-comment portion of the agenda.

Why it matters

City licensure rules determine when a new business can begin preparing to open. Allowing a liquor license application before a city business license would change the timing of when owners can buy inventory and train staff; Ebersol said a six-week delay after construction would jeopardize his planned opening and payroll.

What was said (selected)

- Mike Ebersol, owner, MK Ranch Bar and Grill: “We have already obtained a state and a county liquor license… If I have to sit idle for 6 weeks after construction is completed to open our building that would kill us.”

Next steps

The board did not vote on the request. City staff or the city attorney would need to review licensure rules or propose an administrative accommodation for a licensing sequence change; no formal direction or assignment was recorded in the meeting minutes.