Committee gives favorable recommendation for Santos Street Eats and Bars liquor license

A Tuscaloosa City licensing committee on an administrative vote recommended approval Tuesday of an on-premise restaurant retail liquor license for Olympus O1 LLC, dba Santos Street Eats and Bars, at 1014 Seventh Avenue.

The recommendation came after the applicant described the restaurant concept, adjusted operating hours from an initially proposed 2 a.m. close to the hours now on the application, and answered questions from committee members and public-safety staff.

The committee’s favorable recommendation sends the application to the full City Council for final action. The committee’s voice vote was recorded as favorable; the transcript records multiple “Aye” responses but does not list individual vote totals.

Giovanni Resco, who identified himself as the applicant and operator, said the business is a family restaurant concept intended to serve students and downtown patrons with “street food from around the world.” Resco said he and his family have operated restaurants in Decatur and Hartsel, Alabama, since 1999 and that he built the Tuscaloosa business without outside loans. “We have every intention and we are very clear, on the rules and regulations to run a restaurant. No tables moved, no dance floor,” Resco said.

City staff presented the application details: the proposed hours are Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Monday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Tuesday 11 a.m.–midnight; and Wednesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–1:30 a.m. The submitted floor plan lists a total occupancy of 230, including a 78-person indoor bar area and a 52-person patio. Staff also said the Police Department reported no incidents linked to the address between Feb. 12, 2024, and Feb. 12, 2025.

A representative of the Police Department told the committee the department’s main concern is the tendency for some restaurants to evolve into de facto bars after opening. The chief said the department supports restaurants but worries about late-hour problems and post-opening changes in business models that increase demands on police resources. “We want them to make money, and if they operate as a restaurant, we fully support it. I worry that just like other places in the city have done, they’ve changed their business model, after the fact,” the chief said.

Committee members pressed the applicant on parking, neighborhood context and how the business would sustain revenue outside the university calendar. Resco said the site has roughly eight dedicated parking spaces and that much of the customer base would be nearby residents and downtown visitors, including game-day crowds. Councilman Lee Busby, the district representative, said restaurants that serve alcohol are permitted in the area but warned the applicant that the committee and police would monitor operations. “If it turns into a bar, there’s gonna be…oversight from the police department,” Busby said.

Resco’s supporting speaker, who identified herself as his mother and long-time restaurant operator in North Alabama, said the family intends to engage with the Tuscaloosa community and local charities and has experience working with municipal regulators. Staff noted the fire marshal had reviewed the application; fire-safety concerns were mentioned during the discussion but no specific fire-code violations were cited in the transcript.

The committee motioned and seconded a recommendation of “favorable” to the full council. The transcript records committee members saying “Aye” during the voice vote; it does not include a roll-call tally or the names of the motion mover and seconder.

The full City Council will consider the license after the committee’s recommendation. The applicant and staff did not announce a date for full-council consideration in the recorded discussion.

Votes at a glance: committee — favorable recommendation to full council on the on-premise restaurant retail liquor license for Olympus O1 LLC dba Santos Street Eats and Bars at 1014 Seventh Avenue (voice vote; individual tallies not specified in transcript).