Frederick County Liquor Board grants 20-day hardship waivers to three restaurants

The Frederick County Liquor Board on April 27 granted 20-day hardship renewal extensions to three county restaurants facing state tax holds and unpaid liabilities, and it waived the board’s customary $100-per-day late fine while keeping license-fee or reapplication requirements in place.

Jay Laurenzo, owner of Laurenzo Restaurants, Inc., told the board his Clarksburg-area location has struggled to keep up with an installment agreement established after the pandemic and that rising costs and reduced sales left the business unable to meet the most recent payment schedule. Laurenzo said staff and a CPA are preparing a Maryland 433B hardship form to document income, expenses and liabilities and that he believed a revised payment plan could be in place within the 20-day waiver period. “We believe we can,” Laurenzo said in the hearing.

Board staff asked commissioners to waive the $100-per-day statutory fine during hardship waivers to allow businesses time to negotiate with the state; commissioners agreed. A motion granting Laurenzo Restaurants a 20-day extension, waiving the $100-per-day fine, and authorizing liquor board staff to waive reapplication fees and adjudicate the renewal if the license expired passed unanimously.

In a second case, Ashley Yokum and Amy East, license-holders for Poor Decisions Restaurant and Bar LLC in New Market, said a third‑party bookkeeper stopped filing sales-and-use tax returns even though payroll withholding continued. The owners said they have since filed missing returns, are negotiating with the state’s debt collector and had a scheduled call later the same day to seek a reduced down payment and monthly plan. “I have a scheduled meeting with them a little bit later today,” Amy East told the board.

Board staff confirmed Poor Decisions had paid the renewal application fee but had not yet paid the $1,500 annual license fee; commissioners granted a 20-day hardship waiver, waived the $100-per-day fine, and required payment of the $1,500 license fee during the waiver period.

Jose Perez, identified in the hearing as a 50% owner and financial backer of several Class B restaurants, said he had negotiated with the state’s revenue office on behalf of the license-holder in his case and expected to make a certified down payment. The board read an email from a state revenue examiner stating management approved a proposed down payment of $14,000 and a monthly payment of $2,200 and that “once the down payment is made, the liquor license hold will be released.” The board granted a hardship waiver for that case, required payment of the $1,500 license fee or proof of the controller down payment by April 30, and waived the $100-per-day fine if additional days were needed while the tax hold was resolved.

Staff told commissioners there are additional license holds affecting other establishments (Grace of India; JB Spirits and Eats; Faux and More) and that some license-holders did not respond to outreach; staff will update the board if those licenses expire before the next public hearing. The board adjourned at 8:58 a.m.

Votes at a glance: each of the three hardship motions described above was approved unanimously by the board; staff were authorized to handle reapplication or adjudication for licenses that expire while applicants resolve state holds.

The board emphasized that waiving the $100-per-day late fine was intended to help small businesses secure payment arrangements with state authorities; license and renewal fees remain due within deadlines the board set in each case.