WAUSAU — A new Mexican restaurant planned for Wausau’s west side received a nod this week over four competing businesses for the city’s sole available regular liquor license.
The city’s liquor license subcommittee heard proposals Tuesday from all five businesses, ultimately recommending approval for La Taqueria, a new Mexican street food restaurant planned for the former Blockbuster building on S. 17th Avenue. The owners of the business, which is slated to open this fall, also own El Mezcal in Rib Mountain.
The license is subject to full council approval.
The liquor license became available when the owners of Mountain Lanes Family Fun Center lost their license amid allegations of illegally passing off inexpensive alcohol as top shelf liquor. The state regulates the number of liquor licenses a municipality is allowed based on population. Wausau has 68.
Also competing for the license: Mountain Lanes itself, under different ownership, Jenny’s Family Restaurant, Downtown Grocery, and a yet-to-be-named restaurant planned for Third Avenue that is owned by Malarkey’s co-owner Tyler Vogt, according to city documents.
Reserve licenses are still an option for the other four businesses, but those 11 licenses cost $10,000 each. The regular liquor license costs $600.
A similar meeting held one week earlier by the same committee had just one business apply for a license that was vacated when Crostini Bar, 307 Third Street, abruptly closed its doors in August. That license went to Daly’s, the restaurant slated to open in the former Crostini space.
