Past Criminal Offense Delays Mahwah Restaurant Owner’s Liquor License
Council is likely to approve the license despite owner's past guilty plea
Mike Barone, the owner of Macarthur Boulevard’s The Grille, will likely be able add a bar to the western-themed restaurant, but must first reappear in front of the township council to have his application for a liquor license officially approved.
According to township attorney Andy Fede, a background check on Barone’s liquor license application revealed that he had incorrectly filled it out by not admitting to any past criminal convictions.
According to Mahwah Police officer Michael Grassi, who performed the check, Barone pleaded guilty to harassment in Hillsdale in 2002.
“I didn’t realize a disorderly persons offense was a criminal conviction,” Barone told the township council last Thursday. “It wasn’t my intention to check the wrong box [on that question of the application.]”
Barone told the council his guilty plea was the result of a verbal altercation he had with a Hillsdale police officer in 2002 over a wrestling match between the two men’s sons.
Grassi confirmed that Barone has not been in any legal trouble since then.
The council, who could have denied Barone’s application for either its incompleteness, or if it felt he had committed a crime of “moral turpitude,” said Thursday it will likely approve the license request once the restaurant owner re-submits his application with the correct information on it. The five council members at the meeting Thursday voted 4-1 in a straw poll to approve the license application once it has been resubmitted.
Barone, who said he was happy to resolve the matter, is planning to convert a counter currently in the restaurant, into a full bar. He plans to make it wooden, to fit the western theme of the restaurant, and said he hopes to have it up and running by November.
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In This article
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The Grille
1033 Macarthur Blvd, Mahwah, NJ -
Mahwah Police Department
221 Franklin Tpke, Mahwah, NJ
Sandy
10:27 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Do we really need another establishment selling liquor?
John
12:09 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
yes, the more liquor stores are a great township revenue builder,
b bartley
10:27 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
OMG You really had to put this poor man's information on the patch for all to see. Dis
Hank
12:09 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
That's some headline. What are you trying to do Patch put the guy out of business?
Leaking Ink
12:09 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I never knew a Disorderly Person Offense was a Criminal Offense either.
Considering what the verbal disagreement was about, it sounds like that
Hillsdale police officer may have had a bit of a power problem. Geez, I hope
he doesn't go to any soccer games. Parents are always disagreeing and fighting
all the time. Glad to hear the Mahwah Township isn't holding it against him.
Andy Schmidt
12:25 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Agreed, it's nice when reason prevails!
(also, reassuring to know that this matter WAS at least unearthed by Officer Grassi.)
John
12:09 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
this is not important news @ all, lets be a little more professional when writing stories!
Jessica Mazzola
12:43 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Hi All -- No, we are not trying to put Mike out of business. I actually grab lunch at The Grille all the time. I thought this story was important for the reasons a bunch of you are pointing out...PD doing a background check, council looking into it before making a judgement about it, and the fact that there will likely be a bar added to the restaurant.
Nick
1:03 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Agreed with the posters that the "NY Post-style" headline is a little rough on Mr. Barone. I'm glad he'll get his license. He's got an excellent restaurant.
Igor Shpudejko
2:28 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I am always wary of someone who tries to hide something. His excuse was quite lame, a conviction is a conviction. Loitering and speeding is a continuing problem at this mini mall. Having a restaurant that serves liquor will only aggrevate these issues. I am not against serving liquor but don't feel that this is a good location for it.
Regenbogen
3:14 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Where is a good location?
Hank
3:53 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Ramsey?
Sandy
3:53 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Selling liquor is a good revenue builder? Do you have any idea how many people come into the ER after "just a couple of beers" that have caused accidents, fallen, or done something else stupid and thought nothing of it? TOO many!
John
4:20 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I'm sorry Sandy, is going into the ER not a revenue or are you guys treating people out of the goodness of your heart over there?
Andy Schmidt
4:56 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
John, following THAT logic, you view the events that necessitated the reconstruction effort in lower Manhattan as a "revenue builder"?
Some things are "just bad", with no way to "spin" it into a good thing.
Chopped Meet
5:11 am on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sandy people are stupid enough without the booze, just look at some of these posts.
Sandy
4:26 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
So John you feel that hurting yourself or others because you're intoxicated is ok because it's revenue? You're reasoning is uncomprehensible and makes no sense
John
7:12 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
No matter how you'd like to slice it, alcohol outlets bring revenue into a city. Just because you don't like drinking doesn't mean we are going to stop drinking. Guess what, the people that have a couple drinks and get behind the wheel, that's they're own fault. That's like blaming gun makers fault for making the gun not the person pulling the trigger. Your reasoning makes no sense.
Sandy
1:10 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Chopped Meat, you're absolutely right
Nick
1:10 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sandy, most of these restaurants allow you to bring your own alcohol if they don't have a license to sell. I don't understand your position. You don't want any restaurants or liquor stores in Mahwah, or do you favor going back to prohibition?
Sandy
4:22 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Nick, you and John can twist what I said as much as you want. My opinion from the beginning was "Do we really need another establishment selling liquor?" You can drink and drive until you're blue in the face, should you choose, just do it responsibly. Don't hurt innocent people that didn't make that same choice by inflicting harm or pain on them. I'm speaking of the never ending drunk driving accidents that occur almost DAILY. And EVERY one of the drivers have a BAL (blood alcohol level) OVER the legal limit! You don't see it, I do.
Nick
10:35 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
I'm not twisting, I'm asking. How much is too much? And what's the difference between a restaurant that serves alcohol, and a restaurant that doesn't have a license but allows patrons to bring their own. I'm not disagreeing with you that drinking and driving is a bad thing. People can go to a party, get drunk and then drive. They don't need to go to a restaurant.