Omaha City Council approves several liquor licenses, adds voluntary sales restriction at corner store

The Omaha City Council on March 4 approved a group of liquor license applications and related license amendments, including a voluntary restriction on single-container alcohol sales at a neighborhood grocery.

The approvals included an upgrade for Po'Boy Mega Alley at 6011 N. 30th St. from a Class D to a Class C license and a 20-by-20 patio area; Class I licenses for Mesa Luna at 1258 S. 13th St. and Scissors & Scotch at 17211–17213 Evans Plaza; a Class D license for Mary’s Fruits & Vegetables at 2410 S. 13th St.; and an outdoor-area addition for Touch of Class Lounge at 11220 Fort St. All votes passed unanimously 6–0.

The change for Po'Boy Mega Alley was presented by Lindsay Shuler of the CrokerHawk law firm on behalf of the applicant. Shuler said the owner, Myron Menefield, installed a commercial kitchen after receiving a Nebraska Department of Economic Development grant and is adding a restaurant component and patio. The council also agreed to suspend Rule 7 as part of the motion to approve the license change.

David Howden spoke for Lucy Luna LLC’s Mesa Luna application; Noah Mach appeared by Zoom as a proprietor. Dylan Pachaca, the applicant for Scissors & Scotch, described that location as his company’s third Omaha-area site. Lindsay Shuler again represented Touch of Class; an opponent, Donnie R. Johnson, spoke at the public hearing on that item but did not state an objection that prevented approval.

Maria Rivera applied for a Class D license for Mary’s Fruits & Vegetables; her daughter, Mariah, translated at the microphone and explained the store’s longtime neighborhood focus and operating hours. During that discussion, Councilmember Hugg proposed a voluntary amendment to prohibit sale of single-use liquor containers smaller than 375 milliliters and single cans of beer smaller than 32 ounces. The applicant agreed to the amendment on the record; the amendment and the final license passed 6–0.

Council roll calls recorded Melton, Roe, Harding, Hugg and the council president voting in favor on the item-by-item tallies reported during the meeting; Bagley was recorded as absent earlier in the session.

The council did not identify individual movers for each motion on the public record; the meeting minutes show a motion and a second for each item and the recorded roll-call tallies.

The approvals allow the named businesses to serve alcohol under the class of license granted and, in two cases, to add outdoor patio areas. The Mary’s Fruits approval was amended to include the voluntarily agreed restriction on certain single-serve alcoholic containers.

Votes at a glance

- Item 6 — Po’Boy Mega Alley (6011 N. 30th St.): Approve amendment to Class C license and add 20x20 patio; motion passed, 6–0 (suspension of Rule 7 included). Referenced application materials and presenters were on file.

- Item 7 — Mesa Luna (1258 S. 13th St.): Class I liquor license approved; motion passed, 6–0.

- Item 8 — Scissors & Scotch (17211–17213 Evans Plaza): Class I liquor license approved; motion passed, 6–0.

- Item 9 — Mary’s Fruits & Vegetables (2410 S. 13th St.): Class D liquor license approved with voluntary amendment prohibiting single-use liquor containers under 375 ml and single cans of beer under 32 oz; amendment and license passed, 6–0.

- Item 10 — Touch of Class Lounge (11220 Fort St., Suite 101): Addition of outdoor area to Class C license approved; motion passed, 6–0.

Local context and next steps

Approved license changes allow the businesses to proceed with the uses described in the applications; final inspections or permits for patio construction, food-service buildouts and other physical changes remain subject to building-permit and code review as required by city departments. The voluntary restriction agreed to by the applicant for item 9 is recorded on the public record as a condition tied to the council’s approval.