5 Wausau businesses vie for 1 open liquor license

When a business owner loses their liquor license, it goes back to the Wausau Liquor License Subcommittee. The subcommittee then takes proposals from businesses and recommends the one it believes to be the best choice to City Council for consideration.

With the news that Mountain Lanes Family Fun Center lost its liquor license, the subcommittee heard proposals from five businesses Monday night.

"The state regulates how many liquor license a city can have based on population, so, with Wausau's population we have approximately 68 licenses," Wausau City Council President Lisa Rasmussen said. "When a standard license opened up there's a lot of competition and tonight was no exception."

La Taqueria, a new Mexican street food restaurant set to open later this fall at the old Blockbuster location on South 17th Avenue, won the recommendation from the committee. The restaurant will be run by the people who run all El Mezcal locations across north central Wisconsin.

"In order to compete and for our business to be successful, we need that license, I mean, if you look at the area where we're at, we are situated not too far from our other location and not too far from the other Mexican options either," Luis Melendez, General Manager of La Taqueria said.

Now, the business will have to pass another committee meeting and get approved by the full Wausau City Council to get the license.

With the recommendation handed out, the other four businesses have an expensive alternative to consider.

"When they're all taken, owners can apply for a reserve license, but by state law, those licenses cost $10,000," Rasmussen said.

The other option is waiting for another one of the 68 Wausau-area liquor licenses to become available, and start the application process over again.

"Licenses come open at different times of the year, whether a business owner retires or a business goes out of business," Rasmussen said.