Published Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
Bar owner Anthony Delgros asked Brookfield trustees Tuesday why they were trying to block his application for a liquor license for his new restaurant, Turbo's Bar and Grille.
The trustees haven't decided whether to have a hearing on the matter, but said they have received numerous phone calls from neighbors concerned that RJ's, the bar Delgros has owned since 1988 on the corner of Brookfield Avenue and Davis Street, was a topless bar.
Delgros said a couple of girls who are regular patrons come into the bar once a week and dance topless, a trend that began several months ago.
"I never hired the girls. They came in on their own off the street and danced," he said.
Delgros said he believes rumors that his bar was a strip joint prompted the board to consider a hearing on the liquor license transfer.
He said he wanted to squelch any assumptions the board might have that Turbo's Bar and Grille, the former Schuster's Steakhouse, at 808 Brookfield Ave., is going to be a strip bar. He said he never had nor planned to have a topless bar, adding that it "would be very disrespectful."
Brookfield Police Chief Dan Faustino said maybe trustees should request a hearing for Turbo's because of constant complaints the department receives about parking and fights at RJ's.
Trustees said they needed to be sure the calls they were receiving from Brookfield residents were legitimate complaints.
"The board isn't trying to block the license, but we need to protect the laws of Ohio," Trustee J. Philip Schmidt told Delgros.
Liquor permits for all businesses in the township expire in October.
Trustees can choose whether or not to renew liquor permits and with a transfer in ownership, the board can request a hearing to challenge the permit, Faustino said.
Delgros said renewing it shouldn't be an issue. He admitted to the board that RJ's, like any other bar, has its share of problems and that he takes care of those problems when they cccur.
Schmidt said if the board does request a hearing for Turbo's it would be to find out what Delgros' plans for the restaurant are.