Markeshia Ricks Photo
Bishop’s Gate Tavern owner Wilson Reyes makes his pitch at the BZA.
Longer hours and live entertainment will be on the menu of a State Street tavern.
That’s the upshot of a decision he Board of Zoning Appeals made Tuesday night to grant Bishop’s Gate Tavern, at 1503 State St. in Cedar Hill, a special exception to the original limits of the owner’s café liquor license.
Bishop’s Gate Tavern at 1503 State St.
Owner Wilson Reyes told the members of the BZA that his small neighborhood tavern — formerly the old Jack’s, and before that the old Firehouse — is struggling to keep its doors open because he ends up preparing to close around the time that people from the neighborhood want to show up for food and drinks.
“People don’t come out in that neighborhood until after 8 p.m.,” he said. “My beers are $2-$3. There’s really not too much expensive alcohol there. So when people come out they want to stay from 8 p.m. to 12:30 or 1 a.m.
“The people in the neighborhood are older. I’m just trying to change up the hours.
“For me to close at 11 p.m., I can’t afford to keep the doors open between the taxes and the insurance and everything.”
Reyes has owned the tavern for two years, receiving the café liquor license for the operation of an existing business in a BA, or general business zone back in 2017. The BZA back then, at the behest of City Plan staff, required Reyes to close at 11 p.m.
His original permit also didn’t allow for amplified music, which means he couldn’t bring in a small one or two-piece band, a karaoke machine or a jukebox. He would like to do that now to attract more business.
City Plan staff recommended denial of the special exception, arguing in a staff report that Reyes had failed to show why his request should be approved and how the original conditions had changed to warrant a change in hours.
“When the Café Liquor License was approved in 2017, it was noted in the advisory report that the imposition of limited hours of operation similar to those upon other similar cafes and restaurants in neighborhood commercial areas (typically no later than 11:30 p.m. daily) is not only appropriate but is reflective of recent policy in respect to restaurants and cafes located not only on State Street but in other neighborhood business districts within the city,” City Plan Staffer Nate Hougrand wrote in his advisory report. “This was based also in part because there are several neighboring residential dwellings that would be negatively affected by later hours of operation.”
Attorney Trachten.
But Reyes got some support during the public hearing on the matter from former BZA member Ben Trachten, who testified in support of granting the special exception.(Trachten happened to be presenting representing another applicant as an attorney.) Trachten said he always disagreed with the practice of limiting the hours of businesses like Reyes’. No one testified in opposition to Reyes’ request for a special exception.
“I would see the board vote to limit hours of operation for these small neighborhood businesses, and I thought it was crazy but that was what the City Plan Department would recommend,” said Trachten, who often abstained from such votes on State Street business, a number of which were his clients.
“I always thought it was wrong,” he added. “I thought the limits of the liquor license should dictate the hours that were appropriate. And in this particular case, he’s got competition that’s open to the full length of the liquor permit to 2 o’clock in the morning on weekends, and that puts a businessman to a disadvantage.
Trachten further pointed out that to grant a special exception didn’t require Reyes to prove a hardship. The current BZA members agreed with Trachten and vited unanimously to allow Reyes to now operate from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday — Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. He also will be allowed to have live entertainment along with a karaoke machine and a jukebox.