Great Mex Grill, a Mexican restaurant located on the corner of Bellflower Boulevard and Atherton Street, was recently granted permission to gain a liquor license by the Long Beach City Council, but it comes with a few restrictions.
Great Mex must adhere to several city-mandated stipulations that include limiting the hours alcohol is served and avoiding direct advertising of alcohol to Cal State Long Beach students.
“The goal is to keep people going [to Great Mex] for the food, not the drinks,” said Long Beach City Councilman Patrick O’Donnell.
O’Donnell, who is also a patron of the restaurant, presented the revised alcohol license petition before the city council last week after Great Mex’s original application was denied in February.
He said the conditions of the liquor license should not hurt the business.
“These conditions are nothing out of the ordinary for the area,” he said, acknowledging the restaurant’s proximity to several schools and churches.
Similar advertising restrictions, which included a ban on advertising to CSULB students, were placed on Taco Beach, located on Bellflower Boulevard and Abbeyfield Street, last spring as a condition for its Alcohol Beverage Control license.
CSULB Dean of Students Jeff Klaus, who is also a member of the Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs Program on campus, said although alcohol consumption is common in certain university environments, it is not in keeping with CSULB’s policies.
“If you have to promote alcohol discounts as a way to attract the students, this is not the type of environment we want to create,” Klaus said. “But rather we want to promote responsible consumption and a healthy lifestyle.”
In order to stay consistent with campus policies, Klaus said, local establishments should be restricted from promoting their drink specials over the food they offer.
Klaus also said the Outpost and the Nugget Grill and Pub, the only on-campus locations that serve alcohol, are barred from advertising alcohol to students.
Great Mex owner Betsy Densmore said she thought the stipulations were fair considering the restaurant’s proximity to many schools and that the business is willing to meet the terms of the permit.
“Obviously we would have preferred to serve during normal hours, but we are happy to compromise,” Densmore said.
Densmore said the restaurant’s staff also circulated a petition that gathered 600 signatures from Great Mex patrons who were in favor of allowing the restaurant to serve liquor.
The petition served as the basis for the city council’s revised ruling, according to Densmore.
Since obtaining the city’s approval, Great Mex now awaits the license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Densmore said she is optimistic that the restaurant will receive its liquor license and that the addition of beer and wine to the menu will be beneficial for business in spite of the conditions.
“Our point is to take care of existing customers,” Densmore said. “We’ve done well in this spot for a few years now by being sensitive to what the community wants.”
O’Donnell said the ban on alcohol advertising is not meant to negatively affect the restaurant or students but to preserve the integrity of the area.
“Great Mex is a positive addition to the community,” O’Donnell said. “We just need to make sure it is consistent with the flavor of the neighborhood.”