SNOW HILL -- Four new alcohol beverage licenses were granted and two existing licenses were expanded at this month’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) meeting.
The first expansion was to the Ocean City Convention Center, which plans to use most of its parking lot for alcohol sales during Bike Week, Sept. 13-16. The board quickly approved the application, but on the condition that activities like burnout pits and mud wrestling by excluded from the schedule of events.
The Tap House in Ocean City was approved for an expansion to its liquor license, though on a more permanent basis. Tiki Bar hours for the eatery will be expanding from the current 9 p.m. closing to 11:30 p.m. Additionally, outdoor entertainment was approved for the restaurant, which already features indoor entertainment.
Of the four new beverage licenses granted during the meeting, only one is going to an established operation. Recently, the Waystead Inn in Berlin was granted a zone change that allows it to host independent functions and events like weddings and parties. The Inn is also planning on hosting invitation-only dinner clubs, which is where the need for a liquor license lies, according to attorney Guy Ayres.
“Occasionally, they’d like to have dinners with wine pairings,” he said.
Ares added that the main focus of the license would be to provide beverages during “small parties” and that Waystead isn’t looking to set itself up as a bar or nightclub.
Ocean City will be seeing two new licenses with the Bayside Bar and Grill on 115th Street and the Naked Fish on 136th Street.
Brian Davis, who will be running Bayside for owner and mother Judy Davis, has been working in the food service field his entire life, most recently traveling across the country jumpstarting failing restaurants. Davis told the BLC that he is “tired of traveling around all of the time” and wants to pick one restaurant to stick with.
Naked Fish owner Mark Greene told the board that his restaurant will feature casual dining expected for the family crowd in Ocean City but will continuously evolve.
“Initially, we’re not really exactly sure what our needs are going to be,” he said.
Greene argued a beverage license will be critical to its success.
The final license application came from Lin’s Asian Cuisine in Pocomoke. Attorney Joe Moore informed the board that Lin’s will be the only restaurant in Pocomoke to feature sushi and a hibachi grill.
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