The Cranston City Safety Services Committee on July 7 approved a beer-and-food (BBL) license for a business at 1012 Reservoir Avenue, but only after conditioning the approval on staff receiving TIP (server) certification and on proof of insurance.

The committee’s action followed a presentation by attorney Matthew Lyons and business principal Michael Weil, who said the owners recently acquired the property and were prioritizing structural fixes and staff training. “We're working to schedule that class. We'd have the entire staff TIP certified as we are required to,” attorney Matthew Lyons said. Weil added: “We will be closed at 10 p.m.”

Committee members said they had walked the neighborhood and heard both concerns and conditional support from residents, who said they would accept later closing if the operation remained limited to beer and food. The applicants repeatedly stated they would sell only beer (no wine or packaged alcohol to leave the premises) and would require food purchases with alcohol sales.

The motion approved by the committee required completion of the TIP certification for all employees; committee members set a 60-day check to confirm the training had occurred. The applicants and their attorney also told the committee that proof of insurance had been submitted to the clerk on July 2 after the agenda was posted. The committee chair and other members clarified that if the city liquor-cap rules required a full council vote they would forward it, but that the application was not over the cap and, as explained during the meeting, committee approval would allow the license to proceed.

Committee members pressed the applicants on parking-lot supervision and preventing outside alcohol consumption. Brad Head, the general manager introduced by the owners, outlined steps the business plans to use: “We have procedures in every restaurant...we do have a pretty good security presence...All the managers are trained to keep an eye on the patrons while they're in there to make sure that they're not consuming anything brought from the outside,” Head said.

The committee approved the license by roll call vote after the conditions were read into the record. Committee discussion included a plan to place the item back on the safety-services agenda in 60 days to verify that all employees are TIP-certified and that the operation is complying with the stated hours and no-sales-to-go policy.

The committee noted that the application will appear before the full City Council only if the city’s licensing cap requires it. Members asked the clerk to record the condition that final issuance be held until the staff TIP certification is complete.

What happens next: the business must present TIP certification for all employees and maintain the insurance already submitted. The committee will review compliance in about 60 days; the license will go to the full council only if the city's cap or other rules require a separate vote.