The St. Mary’s County Alcohol Beverage Board on Sept. 14 conditionally approved an application from John X. Miles to purchase a Class B restaurant license for Clubhouse Restaurant, a full-service restaurant and bar at 23154 Whetstone Lane in California, Maryland.

The board’s approval was made on a 30-day conditional basis while the applicant provides a copy of his trader’s license to county staff. Board Administrator Tammy Hildebrand said the applicant had completed state and local alcohol training and that the trader’s license had not yet been turned in; she described the condition as administrative and expected the paperwork could be supplied “probably tomorrow.”

Why it matters: The Clubhouse is inside the Wildwood senior community but will be open to the public. The license allows on-premises alcohol service and permission to extend the premises for outdoor seating on an enclosed patio—an issue the board discussed to ensure the license boundary and control measures were clear.

John X. Miles told the board he opened the restaurant in August and plans to operate Tuesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. and Sunday brunch 11 a.m.–4 p.m. He described a roughly 20-person interior capacity and fenced patio seating, and said he intends to staff two full-time bartenders and three servers. “I came into the clubhouse of Wildwood, senior community, opened up the restaurant… I wanted to branch out and leave my employer to open up my own restaurant,” Miles said during his presentation.

Board members asked about staff training and operational controls. Hildebrand confirmed the county requires licensees to be RAST certified and at least one person on the premises to be TAM-certified; she said the applicant and at least some staff had completed required training (RAS and TIPS). The board also emphasized that the hashed communal area shown on Miles’s diagram is not covered by the alcohol license and that Miles understood he must control the licensed area.

There were no written or verbal protests filed with the office, Hildebrand said, and board members voiced support. A motion to grant the Class B restaurant license with outdoor seating as a 30-day conditional (pending receipt of the trader’s license) carried by voice vote.

Board action and next steps: Miles was instructed to deliver the trader’s license to the administrator’s office to have the condition removed; staff said the license could be finalized as soon as that document was filed. The board did not list a roll-call vote count in the record; the motion passed on a voice vote with no opposition announced.

Ending: The board wished Miles good luck and reminded him to provide the outstanding document to complete licensing.