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Council approves alcohol permit for convenience store near university
Summary
The Hammond City Council approved an alcohol and tobacco permit for Banny Food Mart LLC at 310 E. University Ave.; the applicant said employees are trained but council members expressed concerns about underage sales given the store’s proximity to the university.
The Hammond City Council voted to approve an alcohol and tobacco permit for Banny Food Mart LLC, a convenience store at 310 East University Avenue, after the applicant said staff would be trained to comply with state law.
Sam Motani, the owner and a resident of Hammond, told the council the business has experience operating other local gas stations and that “we are pretty complied with the laws and all our employees are trained.” Council members pressed him about the store’s location near campus and the heightened risk of underage attempts to buy alcohol. One council member urged the business to “please uphold the law” and be “mindful” of underage customers.
The council recorded a motion to approve the permit, which carried in a roll-call vote with one abstention recorded. Staff confirmed the applicant had met city requirements and that a representative was present to address questions.
The approval allows the owner to apply for the city permit required to sell alcoholic beverages from the listed location; the motion did not include new conditions beyond standard permit requirements. The council did not specify additional enforcement steps at the meeting.
The council’s decision follows staff confirmation that the application met city procedural requirements. The city clerk will complete the administrative steps to issue the permit and notify the applicant of any final conditions or timelines.
