Cozumel Mexican Restaurant Receives Alcohol License

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published February 21, 2018 5:49 pm
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Margaritaville lives again at Cozumel Mexican Restaurant located near Exit 62 of Interstate 80.

It’s been seven long months for Silvia Lopez as she attempted to get the popular restaurant’s own alcohol license. The previous license was related to the previous owner of the hotel and when ownership changed, the license Cozumel operated under for 13 years did not transfer.

“I’m excited,” said Lopez on Wednesday.

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The loss of the alcohol license also meant the loss of business because people liked to have a drink with their meals.  Ever since the loss of the license, the restaurant operated under a “bring your own bottle” policy.

“We were getting to the point that I told the landlord that it would be better to close while we were waiting because we weren’t selling enough to pay the bills,” said Lopez.

“We were getting desperate because if it didn’t come by the end of the month, we would have to do something else.  We weren’t making enough to pay the bills, the workers, the taxes, and everything.  All of the bills were coming even though we didn’t have a license.”

Lopez was able to obtain a license through an auction by Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) for expired licenses. Lopez bid $72,000.00 for an expired license in Elk Township that was eventually transferred to her Monroe Township restaurant. PLCB allows the transfer of its licenses within a county, providing there is approval by the local municipality.

One of the attractions of Cozumel, in addition to the food, was authentic Mexican drink such as margaritas.

The restaurant has a loyal base of customers, but the economics of keeping it open was challenging with the loss of a license.

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