Licenses Committee renews Taqueria El Toro’s tavern license but imposes 10‑day suspension

The Milwaukee Licenses Committee voted to recommend renewal of the Class B tavern, extended‑hours and food‑dealer licenses for Taqueria El Toro at 551 W. Historic Mitchell St., but attached a 10‑day license suspension. The committee said the suspension was based on a preponderance of evidence in police reports and witness testimony showing repeated alcohol‑related enforcement problems at the premises.

The committee heard a multi‑page police report recounting several enforcement actions over 2023–2024. The report summarized incidents including: a license assignment event in January 2024 that found employees without operator licenses and led to the seizure of liquor; an underage tavern enforcement check in July 2024 when an underage police aide was served beer; and other citations and guilty findings referenced in the city’s records. Committee members and the police asked whether the fines and citations had been paid; the applicant confirmed the citations were paid.

Applicant Toribio Perez Martinez, who appeared with Spanish interpretation, acknowledged prior management failures and described steps taken since the incidents, including changes in staffing and security practices. Committee members pressed whether invoices for alcohol were kept on site, whether security staff existed at peak hours, and when the business started checking IDs at the door; the applicant said security was implemented on weekend nights and that staff training and camera coverage had been improved.

After public and aldermanic discussion, Alderman Jose Perez moved that the committee recommend renewal of the licenses but impose a 10‑day suspension based on the police reports and applicant testimony showing operations that posed a threat to public health, safety or welfare. The committee approved that motion without a roll‑call recorded in the transcript. City attorney Travis Gresham explained next steps: the committee will complete findings and conclusions and forward a recommendation to the full Milwaukee Common Council; the applicant will receive the committee report and may file written exceptions with the city clerk by April 16 and appear before the Common Council on April 22.

The committee also clarified the practical effect of the suspension: if a provisional license was in effect, it would be withdrawn and the licensee would not be authorized to operate during the suspension period. The committee’s recommendation is advisory to the full council, which makes the final determination.

The applicant asked the committee for guidance and said he understood the process. The committee’s action was framed as a path to continued oversight while giving the establishment a chance to correct management problems before the Common Council makes the final decision.

The full Common Council will take up the committee’s recommendation on April 22; the committee’s report will be delivered to the applicant and the city clerk’s office.