New restaurant may sell wine to go

New Kennett-area restaurant may sell wine to go

A new Italian restaurant may soon take its place among the new options for dining in East Marlborough.

A relatively upscale Italian restaurant may soon take its place among the new options for dining in East Marlborough.

But an ever newer option for that restaurant, only recently permitted under state law, will be that its developers hope to offer liquor sales, so patrons can take home a pizza and a bottle of wine to go with it.

The East Marlborough Board of Supervisors recently voted to approve an inter-municipal transfer of a liquor license to the 5th Street Hospitality Group, which hopes to renovate the Bite of Italy site in the Shoppes of Longwood Village and create a 70-seat Italian restaurant there offering what it calls “chefdriven” pizza and other cuisine.

The group wanted to transfer a liquor license from Coatesville into East Marlborough, which required a hearing and resolution. Andrea Sikora, a member of the group, said they wanted to offer liquor to diners, have a bar, and potentially do liquor sales, newly permitted by state law, so customers could go home with takeout food and a bottle of wine as well.

Because the liquor license transfer required approval by the board, Sikora and her attorney Joe Riper were careful to emphasize the concept was that of a restaurant with a bar, not the other way around.

Sikora said the restaurant would be open seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to about 11 p.m. “The seating will be much more dining-focused,” she said, with no live music or dancing.

Board member Robert Weer pointed out there were already a number of establishments serving liquor in the area, including the Two Stones pub next door, Plaza Azteca, and Applebee’s.

After a question from Weer, township solicitor Frone Crawford said there was no limit on how many licenses could be transferred into a municipality, but each had to be approved.

Riper pointed out that the former Manny Hattan’s liquor license had gone somewhere else, so there was no real increase in the number of establishments serving liquor in the area.

“There’s been no evidence

there would be any adverse impact” to the welfare of residents, Riper said.

In the end, the supervisors

moved to grant the transfer with the stipulation that the business close at 11 p.m. Board Vice Chairman John Sarro abstained because of a relationship with the landlord, and Robert Weer voted against the transfer, resulting in a 3–1 vote in favor.