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Howard County board approves Taqueria Paranda’s on‑sale beer, wine and liquor license with staff certification condition
Summary
The Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Board voted unanimously Sept. 30 to grant a new Class B seven‑day on‑sale license to Taqueria Paranda LLC (Raquel Zavala) for a Columbia restaurant, conditioned on submission of alcohol awareness certificates for bartenders and managers.
The Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Board on Sept. 30 approved a new Class B seven‑day on‑sale beer, wine and liquor license for Taqueria Paranda LLC, a restaurant at 6455 Dalbin Road, Suite 45, Columbia.
The applicant, Raquel Zavala, told the board she owns another restaurant in Bethesda and opened the Columbia location with a soft opening on Sept. 22. “I wanted to bring a small Taqueria style to Columbia, Maryland,” Zavala said under oath, and added the Columbia location had been selling food since the soft opening.
Board members asked operational questions during the hearing. Zavala said the restaurant seats about 50 to 60 people, operates primarily as a takeout‑style restaurant and plans to serve “mainly, margaritas, beer, and wine.” She estimated alcohol sales would be “30 to 40%” of total sales, said service would be on‑premises only, and gave projected hours of 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zavala said she and the managers and bartenders have completed alcohol awareness certification and that the applicant would provide the certificates to the office.
Board deliberations focused on the applicant’s fitness and staff training. One board member said on the record that the application “on its face” showed the applicant was fit and proper, noting certified managers and bartenders. Another board member asked that the board condition approval on submitting the remaining alcohol awareness certificates; the applicant agreed to that condition.
A motion to approve the license with the condition that the manager and bartender alcohol awareness certificates be submitted passed on a unanimous vote: Chair Chen — yes; Mr. Coleman — yes; Mr. Hunt — yes; Miss Johnson — yes; Miss Kim — yes. Zavala waived her right to appeal at the hearing and the board congratulated her on the approval.
The board’s approval is limited to the license action recorded at the hearing; the board placed a condition requiring the outstanding certification documents be filed with the licensing office before the license is finalized.
