Bielenberg Restaurant: Lease Looks Likely, Liquor in Limbo

While the question of having liquor at a new Bielenberg Sports Center restaurant has yet to be settled, it will be constructed with that in mind.

If Gartner Restaurant Holdings doesn’t secure a liquor license from the city?

“We’ll have the 15 best root beer taps in the world,” Greg Gartner said.

Gartner owns the company that will operate the second-floor restaurant in the lobby of the reconstructed sports center, which is expected to open in the spring of 2014. Work is underway on the $21.8 million project.

The Woodbury City Council on Wednesday examined the lease agreement for the space, and seemed ready to move forward after some wrinkles in the agreement were ironed out. It was a workshop meeting, so no formal action was taken; the lease will come before the council for formal approval at a later date.

The lease will vary depending on whether a liquor license is granted for the restaurant. With a liquor license, the city will receive 12 percent of gross sales up to $1 million, and 10 percent for sales beyond that figure. Without a liquor license, rent will be 10 percent of all gross sales.

Gartner told Patch he was happy with the tweaks to the lease and he expects the restaurant to be a “cool concept” for Woodbury.

Councilman Christopher Burns, who has long advocated for Woodbury to get out of the food-service business, said the way in which staff drafted the lease was “artful,” though he added that the liquor issue will still be “challenging.”

The council in May discussed having liquor at the Bielenberg Sports Center restaurant.

See: Woodbury Council Mulls Alcohol for Bielenberg Sports Center Restaurant

The city will likely take up the liquor discussion again next March.

Plans for the site call for a new multi-purpose field house, outdoor pleasure rink, playground for kids of all abilities, improvements to the existing ice arenas and splash pad.

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