Council endorses Class B liquor license for future Brew & Ole’s
By Jason Arndt
Editor
A Burlington area couple with a long history of owning businesses plans to purchase the former Rustic Roots in the downtown area.
Brian and Diane Biedrzycki, the prospective owners of the new establishment now known as Brew & Ole’s, secured a Class B liquor license from the Common Council on Tuesday to aid in the sale of the property at 597 N. Pine St.
City Clerk Diahnn Halbach, who presented the proposal to the Common Council, said the Class B liquor license served as a condition for the transfer of sale from previous owner Michael Hammes to the Biedrzyckis.
“Mr. Hammes has agreed to surrender his liquor license back to the City, on the condition that the Council approves the issuance of a ‘Class B’ Liquor License to the new owner,” Halbach wrote in a memorandum.
The Racine County Economic Development Corporation reviewed the application based on city policy implemented in 2017 and recommended approval of the Class B liquor license.
Corporate Attraction Market Lead Jordan Brown, acting in place of RCEDC Credit Analyst Grace Kieckbusch, reported his agency examined three years of financial statements, one year of projected income and assumptions, among others before finding satisfaction.
“The projections and assumptions were found to be reasonable and attainable,” Brown said. “In closing, RCEDC staff feels the new business is set up for success under the ownership and operation of Brian and his wife Diane.”
Committed to community
The Biedrzyckis have owned Lakes Area Marine and Lakes Area Gymnastics for 36 years based on a report from RCEDC.
“Diane and I have been active business owners in the community for almost 40 years,” Brian said in a brief statement to the Common Council. “We are professional diners. We really missed having Rustic Roots.”
He said they have long envisioned owning a restaurant and found the Rustic Roots property an attractive opportunity.
“We always had thoughts in the back of our minds that we would like to run a restaurant and so this was an opportunity for us to do that,” Brian said.
“(The) downtown has been a vibrant and growing part of the community and we wanted to keep that building going,” he added.
Brian indicated his family’s two French bulldogs – Brew and Ole – served as inspiration for the new name.
Project timeline
Shad Branen, of District 1, inquired how Brew and Ole’s would compare to the former Rustic Roots.
Brian said the prospective establishment would be similar and they had already enlisted the help of restaurant professionals.
“It is still in the planning stages. We hired a couple of restaurant people from Milwaukee that my daughter knew really well and have over 30 years of experience,” Brian said, adding the new restaurant plans to expand entree options. “Right now, we are interviewing chef positions and front of house managers and heading down to our finalists.”
Judi Adams, of District 2, had questions about the projected opening of Brew & Ole’s.
Brian said they hope to open at 100% capacity, including being fully staffed, by March 1.
Burlington Mayor Jon E. Schultz II praised the Biedrzyckis for their willingness to contribute to the downtown area.
“Brian, thanks for investing in the city,” Schultz said. “We really appreciate it and are looking forward to that place opening.”
Lengthy closure
In October, city officials deliberated on whether to revoke the Class B liquor license, citing Rustic Roots’ closure had lasted more than 90 days.
Halbach, in a letter to Hammes, outlined the city’s concerns related to licensing guidelines.
“You may not be aware, but the city has an ordinance in place that allows the Common Council full discretion to determine if a license should be revoked if it has not been used for more than 90 days,” Halbach wrote in the letter, noting that since removed social media information reflected Rustic Roots had closed on May 10.
Hammes, who initially planned to reopen in mid-November, said labor shortages served as the primary reason for the long-term closure.
He told officials at the Oct. 15 committee of the whole meeting he had hired a staff member who worked at another Burlington establishment to handle day-to-day operations.
Since then, Hammes found a prospective owner in the Biedrzyckis and decided to sell the downtown Burlington restaurant.
-
-
-
-
-