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The transfer of the alcohol licenses for The Frog Tavern and S.S. Lillypad II were both unanimously approved by the Kosciusko County Alcohol Tobacco Commission on Thursday.
The county’s Alcohol Tobacco Commission is a recommending board to the state commission, which will have final say on all license applications.
Mann’s Frog Tavern LLC, 1116 S. Harkless Drive, Syracuse, doing business as Frog Tavern, sought a transfer of a beer, wine and liquor restaurant 210 permit.
Mann’s Frog Tavern LLC, 1116 S. Harkless Drive, Syracuse, doing business as S.S. Lillypad II, sought a transfer of a beer, wine and liquor excursion boat permit.
The license transfers were considered together by the local board.
Rachel Schnetzler, attorney at Warrick Boyne law firm, representing Mann’s Frog Tavern, said the principle nature of the businesses was a restaurant and bar for The Frog Tavern and the Lillypad was “an excursion boat that hosts different private events and parties that people rent on a private basis.”
Excise officer April Tackett asked if it was always on a private basis or if they didn’t know yet. Cheryl Manning, owner, said it’s mainly on a private basis, and they serve food on the boat as well.
“We do boat-in on Sunday mornings with that, so that’s open to the public,” Manning said. “The boat goes out with preachers on it, and we go to Oakwood and they park there, and then people come on the boat to ride out there and listen to the preachers, and then people sit on the beach at Oakwood and boats come in and listen, too.”
Commission member Mike Hall asked if it was a church service then.
“Yeah, it’s a church service. That’s been going on like 50 years,” Manning replied, adding that they provide doughnuts and juice for people.
As for the restaurant part of The Frog Tavern, Manning said, “Our main focus is the food and like family oriented. We wanted the food to be improved, so we hired like a good chef. Made it more of a family thing, and we’re opened from like 11 to 11 during the weekdays, and then on the weekend we’re open from 11 (a.m.) to 1 (a.m.). They used to be open until 2, but we’ve taken an hour off of that. We do provide alcohol there, too.”
She said they have an outdoor sitting area where a lot of people can sit outside and watch the boats come in.
“We’ve done a lot of updates to it,” Manning said.
Schnetzler said they’re in the process of renovating and changing the menu, getting things refreshed from the prior owner.
“They are under a management agreement right now, so they have been operating for the last month or so, both the excursion boat and the tavern. They have an experienced manager that has been working with them since Cheryl, in particular, doesn’t come from a restaurant/bar background. They brought someone in that has significant experience to kind of manage that on a day-to-day basis. They’re there as well, to make sure that things are running as they should be, but they wanted to have that person has prior experience to come in and make sure that the alcohol portion and restaurant portion is operating smoothly,” Schnetzler explained.
Manning said they do have security for Saturday nights when bands perform. IDs are checked before people enter the establishment and by the bartenders.
As Tackett had not completed the final inspection of the restaurant and boat as of Thursday’s meeting, the ATC approved both transfers, contingent on Tackett’s final inspection, by a vote of 3-0. Commission President Alan Alderfer was absent.
There were no remonstrators to the transfers.
Earlier in the meeting, before those transfers were approved, the commission approved the renewal of the beer, wine and liquor restaurant (210) permit for Das Restaurants LLC, 1116 S. Harkless Drive, Syracuse, doing business as The Frog Tavern. There were no violations.
Etna Green Dollar Store
A new application before the commission Thursday was for beer and wine dealer grocery store permit for Dolgencorp LLC, 8058 W. Old 30, Etna Green, doing business as Dollar General #31706.
Lisa McKinney, attorney with Bose McKinney & Evans, representing Dolgencorp, said the principle nature of the business was a grocery store that also sold other household items.
“This is a new store that’s planning to open the end of this month,” she said. “... This store will operate much like the over several hundred other stores that have alcohol permits in the state. It is going to sell beer and wine. It will have 4 feet of beer, 4 feet of wine, so it’s a one-stop convenience item.”
McKinney said they’ve trained all of their employees that they have to card everyone, not just anyone who looks under the age of 40. “So they go above and beyond,” she said.
Kemtal Glasgow, district manager for Dollar General, said they have a “very strict ‘No ID, No Sale’ policy, so if they don’t, or if they don’t have an ID, then we just don’t do the transaction. We’re pretty strict on that and we will take disciplinary action, usually termination, even on the first offense.”
He said Dollar General then won’t re-hire them at any of their 21,000 stores across the country.
IDs are scanned for everybody, and employees have to make sure the picture matches, McKinney stated.
The Etna Green location will not have any self-checkouts because Dollar General is trying to go away from that, Glasgow said. Self-checkouts have been taken out of most existing Dollar General stores.
“Even our existing stores that have it, it’s caused more challenges than not. Not necessarily with alcohol, but with people skimming. They got 10 items, but they paid for one,” Glasgow explained. “We’ve removed them from most of our stores.”
McKinney said there’s also cameras in the stores so they have security as well.
With no remonstrators, Hall made a motion to approve the new application, member Dan Woods seconded the motion and it passed 3-0.
Other Licenses
Licenses without any violations renewed by the commission included:
• J & M Enterprise Corporation of Northern Indiana, 5793 E. Pickwick Road, Syracuse, doing business as Channel Marker Restaurant, beer, wine and liquor restaurant (209) permit.
• Scott Package Liquor Inc., 101 S. First St., Pierceton, doing business as Pierceton Discount Package Liquor, beer, wine and liquor package liquor permit.
• Mac’s Convenience Stores LLC, 606 N. Main St., North Webster, doing business as Circle K #4702372, beer and wine dealer grocery store permit.
• The Owl’s Nest LLC, 7369 E. CR 800N, North Webster, doing business as The Owl’s Nest, beer, wine and liquor catering hall permit.
• Brian K. Stalder, 103 E. Main St., Silver Lake, doing business as Lakeview Liquors, beer, wine and liquor package store permit.
