Allegro Pizza second to lose liquor license

Allegro, located on 40th and Spruce streets, joins Smokey Joe's Tavern and 62 other bars and restaurants in the Philadelphia area denied their liquor licenses this term. Angelo Hernandez, manager of Allegro's, said yesterday he "knows nothing" of the non-renewal of his restaurant's liquor license. But in a statement, the LCB said its actions against Allegro are part of an aggressive two-year campaign to shut down establishments that violate Pennsylvania's liquor laws. "What you see here [at Allegro's] is a pattern of abuse, blatant disregard for Pennsylvania liquor laws, repeat citations for the same offense," LCB spokesperson Secretary Donna Pinkham said yesterday. Pinkham said Allegro has two unadjudicated state police citations for selling alcohol to minors in 1991, and other cases over the past two years. Pinkham also defended the LCB's actions against Smoke's yesterday, saying that the campus bar was cited six times for selling alcohol to minors and for "permitting minors to frequent" their tavern this year. Two of these times, six and 19 minors were caught in the bar, said Pinkham. Paul Ryan, owner of Smoke's, said that since 1986, his tavern has been raided 23 times with minors being found 13 of those times. Ryan said the minors found only comprise "three percent of the total people carded." He added that he has tried numerous ways to weed out underage drinkers, but added "there has been a way to beat it." Since there are so many underage drinkers at the University, Ryan said, there is a "constant barrage of minors trying to get into your place." "We're in a college area with 12,000 underage students across the street, and they're going to try every night to get into Smokey Joe's because it's the place to be," Ryan said. He also called for stricter penalties against a minor caught in a bar to act as a deterrent, thereby making it easier for Smoke's to keep underage drinkers out. Pinkham would not comment on the efficacy of the law since LCB does not deal with drafting statutes. According to Pinkham, a bar denied renewal has 20 days from the day of formal notification to request a hearing in front of the LCB hearing examiner. The examiner then makes a recommendation to the three-member LCB. If the LCB still denies a bar its license, then the bar can appeal the decision to the state Court of Common Pleas. During both appeals, the establishment can ask the LCB or the Court to allow them to stay open and serve alcohol pending the outcome of the appeal, Pinkham said. In Smoke's battle for renewal, Ryan said he is asking the University community to write and call the LCB "to present the case that absolutely proves we are not a nuisance to your neighborhood."

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