Howard County board approves Mission Barbecue’s resident‑agent change contingent on amended application

The Howard County Alcoholic Board on Feb. 10 approved a change of resident agent and licensee for Mission Barbecue Columbia LLC, trading as Mission Barbecue, contingent on the applicants filing an amended application correcting who is listed as the resident agent.

Chair Steve Chen presided over the meeting and members voted to grant a Class B beer, seven‑day on‑sale license to Randall Dean Rinecker as the licensee and resident agent for the 4,500‑square‑foot restaurant with a 1,109‑square‑foot patio at 6270 Columbia Crossing Circle. The motion was moved and seconded and carried on recorded affirmative votes; the applicants waived their right to appeal at the hearing.

The decision followed testimony from counsel and two applicants. Nicholas Kallis, representing the applicants, described Mission Barbecue as a multiunit operator active in veterans’ causes and said alcohol is offered only with food and represents a de minimis portion of sales. “The alcohol is only served with food,” Kallis said, and the applicants told the board that alcohol sales at the Columbia location had been below 1 percent of gross business.

John Beezold, who had been listed on the application as a resident agent, was sworn and testified he prepared the application and that the contents were true at the time of filing. Board counsel Jay pointed out a discrepancy between Beezold’s testimony and the Howard County local rules (section 2.06), which require that a resident agent either hold at least 10 percent ownership of the business or be a manager or supervisor physically present on a full‑time basis at the premises. Jay said the application listed Beezold as a full‑time manager but the testimony indicated he is not employed by Mission Barbecue.

Faced with that inconsistency, board counsel presented two options: the applicants could amend the application and proceed with the hearing subject to that amendment, or the board could continue the hearing to a later date to await a corrected filing. Counsel and the applicants acknowledged the listing error as a form mistake and the board agreed to accept an amended application naming Randall Rinecker — who the applicants indicate holds a 10 percent ownership interest and serves in an on‑site managerial capacity — as resident agent.

Board members also asked about on‑site supervision and records. Rinecker said a general manager and regional leadership would oversee day‑to‑day operations; staff in leadership roles were described as ServSafe and TIPS certified. The board noted that, if the license is issued, the Howard County Health Department must inspect the premises before final issuance.

The motion approved the change of resident agent and licensee to Mission Barbecue Columbia LLC, naming Randall Dean Rinecker as the licensee/resident agent, contingent on the submission of the amended application correcting the resident agent listing. The board recorded unanimous affirmative votes from the members present and closed the hearing. The board listed its next hearing date at the conclusion of the session.

The applicants were instructed to submit the corrected application and to coordinate with county health officials for the required inspection before a license would be issued.