Restaurants in Naperville will now be able to serve up to 32-ounce pours of beer or cider — with limitations — clearing the way for a forthcoming entertainment complex reliant on the larger servings to move forward.
The Naperville City Council approved the increased pour limit Tuesday after initially pushing back against the change at a meeting last month.
The liquor code amendment was spurred by a request from New York-based Brixmor Property Group, which asked the council to adjust the city’s alcohol serving caps to be more suitable for tenants that are leasing space in its Block 59 development.
Brixmor maintained that the large dining and entertainment complex, proposed for the northeast corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue, would be in jeopardy if tenants couldn’t serve what they sell at other locations.
The developer sought two changes to standing limits on behalf of tenants: an increase in the maximum serving of wine from six to nine ounces and the allowance of 32-ounce pours of draft beer/cider. Two proposed tenants, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Yard House, sell the larger servings at their restaurants elsewhere.
Council members approved the wine request at their Feb. 20 meeting but were wary about upping the beer/cider limits.
With a few added stipulations, Brixmor’s second request passed the council this week.
The restrictions are no patron is to be served more than one of 32-ounce serving per visit and there will be a 10 p.m. stop time — 11 p.m. for late night liquor license-holders — for the larger pours.
In a call Wednesday, Brixmor property director Andrew Balzer said, “It’s a big step in the right direction.”
“There’s still a little bit to finalize but this was a monumental step in the project at this stage,” Balzer said, noting that Brixmor worked with city staff to find a compromise.
“At the end of the day, you know, they’re going to do what’s in the best interest of the city and we’re supportive of that. … And we want to make sure that what they (pass) works,” he said.
The approved change, as is the case with the larger wine servings, only applies to Class B licensees, which are restaurants with customer bars. Currently, there are about 100 Class B license holders in the city, 33 of which are downtown.
Councilman Ian Holzhauer cast the lone no vote against changing the caps. He said he didn’t “see why we need to change the rules for an entire city” because of one request and considered a 32-ounce pour, even with constraints, as too high.
“I think we’re kind of talking out of both sides of our mouth if we’re saying public safety is our No. 1 priority, (that we) want to be family friendly as a town,” Holzhauer said.
Going into Tuesday’s meeting, city staff also recommended controlling the kinds of beers and ciders allowed in the bigger pours to those with a lower alcohol content, but the caveat didn’t make it into the final resolution.
Councilman Benny White questioned whether the city would be OK with allowing any kind of draft pour to come in a 32-ounce serving, but Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor countered that it would be too difficult to regulate the alcohol type.
Mayor Scott Wehrli, who heads the city’s Liquor Commission, noted that restaurants have the responsibility to not over serve their customers.
“Regardless if customers had something to drink prior to coming in the restaurant or if they are consuming a 24-ounce beer or a larger beer,” Wehrli said, “(it’s still upon restaurants to make sure) that (customers are) not achieving the state of intoxication while they’re on the premises.”
