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Lever Beer Board approves two beer permits, denies Sir Pizza application after background check shows active charge
Summary
At its April 16 meeting the Lever Beer Board approved on‑ and off‑premise beer permits for an Econo Lodge and a neighborhood grocery and denied an on‑premise application for Sir Pizza after a background check showed an active assault charge; the applicant said expungement is underway.
The Lever Beer Board on April 16 approved beer permits for an Econo Lodge Inn & Suites and Los Hermanos Super Mercado and denied an on‑premise permit application for Sir Pizza Lever after a background check showed an active assault charge.
The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. and the board first approved minutes from its Dec. 1, 2025 meeting.
Neil Patel, the applicant for the Econo Lodge at 107 Enterprise Boulevard, told the board the hotel is rebranding to Clarion and plans to add a marketplace area with tables and chairs where beer and (pending a waiver) wine will be available. "We're upgrading to Clarion… I have to add beer to the marketplace for customers," Patel said, adding that staff will be trained to check IDs and the marketplace will be configured so staff can secure alcohol behind a workstation to prevent grab‑and‑go sales. A board member moved to approve the on‑premise permit and the motion passed; the transcript records affirmative responses but does not name individual voting members.
The board then considered an off‑premise permit for Los Hermanos Super Mercado, at 5486 Murphysboro Road. Applicant Saki Ru told the board the store has not yet opened but that she oversees other locations and that staff training is in place. "IDs is the first thing… we check IDs 21 and up," Ru said, and confirmed the business will card all customers. A motion to approve the off‑premise permit was made and seconded and the board voted in favor (recorded as affirmative responses in the transcript).
The final item was an on‑premise application for Sir Pizza Lever. Applicant Rodney "Rody" Forner Jr. acknowledged the board's background check showed multiple entries; he said some charges are retired or dismissed and that his attorney expects expungement to take about 120 days. "They are going to be expunged… it takes about 120 days," Forner said. Board staff explained that because a charge still appears on the background check the board may consider it in assessing the applicant's moral character. After discussion a board member moved to deny the application, a second was made, and the board voted to deny; the clerk noted that a denied applicant cannot reapply for 90 days.
The board adjourned with no other business on the agenda.
Votes and procedural notes: the transcript records affirmative vocal responses ("I.") to approve or deny motions but does not identify individual voters by name or provide a numerical tally. Where the transcript records only verbal affirmations, this article reports the recorded outcome and notes that individual vote names and counts are not specified in the transcript.
