PEORIA, Ill. – The wait will be even longer now for a decision on a liquor license for Highly Flavored’s proposed move to downtown Peoria’s Twin Towers.
Two weeks ago, city council deferred action on a motion to deny the license for the restaurant. Council approved deferring the issue to its August 13th meeting.
2nd District Councilman Chuck Grayeb, who urged council at the previous meeting to take action on voting on the license, requested the deferral after constituents requested a meeting with him.
“I’m the district councilman, and they have requested another meeting with me, so that they could review this whole issue,” Grayeb said. “We defer things all the time here. And I’m asking for us to have the deferral on this on my denial.”
Concerns raised at the meeting included increased police activity at its prior location at Landmark Recreation Center, along with past due bills and taxes.
City attorney Patrick Hayes told council the restaurant’s owner had begun a payment plan on overdue taxes. And that only three police reports during Highly Flavored’s time at Landmark mentioned the business, none of which referred to conduct of the business’ operations.
Highly Flavored’s owner, Jeremy Sargent, called the delays “discouraging” as he told council the original plan was to open the business sometime in mid-July. But he says the delays are hindering him from running his business.
“I feel like I’ve been spending the past two months defending myself from defamation of character and slander,” Sargent said. “And here we are at the site approval, to speak about the site itself.”
Sargent told council the site, which was previously the Creve Coeur Club, had been approved for a liquor license for 19 years. He says the delays also have an impact on the lease, as he still has bills to pay for the location.
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