Big Chair Coffee Applies For Liquor License Will They Face Same Obstacles as Big Bear Coffee

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by Prince Of Petworth June 25, 2010 at 4:30 pm 11 Comments

Back in January Big Chair Coffee opened up in Anacostia (2122 Marthin Luther King Jr Ave SE) to much fan fare. It turns out they’d also like to add some more options and are applying for a liquor license. The application says:

“New restaurant serving American food and coffee with Sidewalk Café. Occupancy load is 52”

Restaurant hours including a sidewalk cafe will be open until 2am.

I wonder if they’ll have an easier time than another coffee shop trying to get an alcohol license?

Anonymous

Will They Face Same Obstacles as Big Bear Coffee
——
doubtful.
er

Maybe not the exact same obstacles, but I’m sure theirs will still rhyme.
- work from homer
  
  what rhymes with ‘obsticles’?
  
  captcha: has spellers
  - er
    
    Big Bear Coffee rhymes with Big Chair Coffee. I made a funny.
Thor

this should never be allowed to happen. If this place gets a liquor license then next thing you know the entire area will turn into Adams Morgan.
DG-rad

I think this is a good move. I’m all for new business and uses. It seems like because these places (the Big Bears and Chairs) are trying to capture a larger audience because there isn’t any competition in the neighborhoods and they already have the restaurant infrastructure. At the end of the day, when the neighborhoods have more businesses I think we’ll see less of the multitasking.
- Ragged Dog
  
  Not likely. Liquor sales is extremely high margin all cash business. Coffee’s high margin too, but I think liquor wins on volume. Every business covets a liquor license because there is very little tax auditing of restaurants and the feds are just now starting to wake up to the underpayment of taxes in restaurants.
Anonymous

what are the obstacles big bear is facing?
has the anc voted on their support yet? the only issue is the VA, which just about every single adult juice joint in the city as to go through. big chair coffee will go through the VA process also.
Anonymous

brookland cafe just got their liquor license.
JohnGalt

If liquor is legal and you satisfy the criteria, why does the neighborhood have a say in what you sell? You don’t need to jump through hoops to sell muffins. I am tired of seeing businesses hijacked over the opposition to alcohol. This should be a city decision, if any.

Anacostia has a lot of residents with alcohol problems. Big Chair/Big Bear won’t add or take away from that.
- Ragged Dog
  
  It’s called zoning laws and it’s upheld by the supreme court.

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