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Howard County board approves expansion of Umi Sushi’s licensed premises in Ellicott City
Summary
The Alcohol Beverage Hearing Board approved an extension of premises for Chopsticks Asian LLC doing business as Umi Sushi, allowing an enlarged indoor space and a larger patio at 8167 Main Street, Ellicott City.
The Howard County Alcohol Beverage Hearing Board on a unanimous vote approved an extension of premises for Chopsticks Asian LLC, trading as Umi Sushi, to expand the restaurant and outdoor patio at 8167 Main Street in Ellicott City.
The board approved the change after hearing from the applicant, King Feng Lin, who testified under oath that he owns 100% of the business and that he and his wife, Yumin Chen, will be on the premises when alcohol is served. The license remains a Class B beer, wine and liquor, seven-day on-sale license; the application covers an increase from a roughly 2,000-square-foot restaurant with a 250-square-foot patio to a 3,480-square-foot restaurant with a 970-square-foot patio.
Board members asked about patio access and oversight. Lin, through a translator, testified that the patio area is accessible from an alley and parking lot but is enclosed by surrounding buildings; staff and servers typically circulate inside and outside to monitor customers. Lin said he and his wife are both certified in alcohol awareness training and a manager is being trained. He told the board that alcohol sales are expected to remain a small portion of total revenue: “without alcohol sales, it might not even be 10% of the restaurant’s total sales,” he said.
Board members pressed on security and service practices for the patio and noted the expansion’s size. One member said the expansion raised questions but that the applicant’s estimates of limited alcohol sales and the restaurant’s record—open since 2019 with no alcohol violations—reassured the panel. With no objections and no outstanding violations on record, a motion to approve the extension passed with the board voting yes.
The board recorded that the applicant waived the right to appeal at the hearing. The applicant was advised of continuing obligations as the licensee and to ensure servers and on-site managers remain trained and that the expanded patio is supervised when alcohol is served.
