Taqueria El Comal owner Hermila Mendoza, left, and Laura Kaufman, right, legal counsel, appear before the Kosciusko County Alcohol and Tobacco Commission Thursday for a new liquor license. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Taqueria El Comal received a favorable recommendation from the Kosciusko County Alcohol and Tobacco Commission Thursday, Aug. 1, for a new beer, wine and liquor license.

The state commission will review the recommendation for the restaurant at 828 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw, and give final approval at an upcoming meeting. They only meet the first and third Tuesday of each month.

April Tackett, excise officer and local Commission member, said Thursday the alcohol license application was for a new beer, wine and liquor 210 supplemental.

“If you all will remember, last year a few places in this county — Syracuse, Winona Lake, Warsaw and a couple others, Auburn, Kendallville — for (whatever) reason, they just got allotted new permits, so that’s what the supplemental means on this. It’s that there is no carryout and it’s one of those new permits,” she said.

In September, the Warsaw Common Council accepted a formal commitment from Taqueria El Comal and Salvatori’s for the two new 210 supplemental alcohol permits designated for the city. Permission from the city is a requirement of the new permits.

Laura Kaufman, legal counsel for Taqueria El Comal owner Hermila Mendoza, said Taqueria El Comal is an existing restaurant and Mendoza was wanting to add the beer, wine “and tequila most likely” sales to go along with the food. There won’t be a separate bar of any sort, it’s just food service and the option of drinks for customers who come in, she said.

In response to questions from Tackett, Mendoza said she’s owned Taqueria El Comal since 2013, but she’s had others and they’ve had alcohol sales in them. There are 12 tables in Taqueria El Comal, with seating for at least 25 people.

Commission member Dan Woods asked if Mendoza was able to sell her 210 supplemental license. Tackett said she could sell it, but there are restrictions such as getting the city’s permission.

Woods made the motion to give a favorable recommendation to the application, Tackett seconded it and the motion passed 3-0.

Because Mendoza’s application came in after July 1, Tackett asked her if she had the information on the new requirement of liquor liability insurance. Mendoza said no.

“That is now a requirement, so before Dec. 31, you’ll have to have the liquor liability insurance and scan an email to your processor, basically, is what that says,” Tackett said after handing Mendoza information on the insurance requirement. “So that will be for any permit you have in Indiana. So it’ll be for the other businesses, too, not just here in Warsaw but wherever.”

A copy of the information states that “effective July 1, 2024, all retailer permittees and craft manufacturer (small brewers, farm wineries, artisan distillers) permittees located in Indiana must maintain during the permit term a liquor liability insurance policy that has total coverage of at least $500,000, or a liquor liability endorsement to a general liability insurance policy that has total coverage of at least $500,000.”

All applicants must submit proof of liquor liability insurance, along with any applicable permit application submitted on or after July 1. All applicants who submitted an applicable permit application prior to July 1 and/or renewed an applicable permit prior to July 1 will have until Dec. 31, 2024, to submit proof of liquor liability insurance to the state commission.
Failure to comply with the liquor liability insurance requirement may result in the suspension and/or revocation of a permit.
Tackett said it’s new for everybody.

“There was confusion when this first came out because that’s also when Happy Hour came back into effect as well, so people were thinking that this was only if they were doing Happy Hour,” she said.

One transfer was before the commission Thursday. The transfer of a beer and wine dealer license — grocery store was for Lassus Bros. Oil Inc., doing business as Lassus No. 33, 702 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw.

Dustin Moloy, outside legal counsel with Boise McKinney & Evans, Indianapolis, representing Lassus Bros., said Lassus “is seeking a warm beer and wine permit for their location at 702 S. Buffalo St. here in Warsaw.”

He said Lassus has a number of permits in Indiana and Ohio, with no violations in Indiana and a minor one in Ohio. He explained that Lassus’ procedures for carding minors was uniform across the board.

“They scan all IDs. They have a written policy for any employees that violate the serving-to-minors policy,” Moloy said.
Brittany Wilchar, director of human resources for Lassus, said strike one was an unpaid suspension, with strike two being termination.

“We do take our responsibility very seriously. We provide training three times a year, and our team members are excited to help us in that responsibility,” she said.

Commission member Alan Alderfer asked where the transfer was coming from.

Tackett said the license transfer was a transfer of ownership and of location. Moloy said he did not know where the transferred license was coming from. Tackett said the only requirement was that the license was within the city limits of Warsaw already.

With no remonstrators against the license transfer, the Commission unanimously gave their approval for it.

With former Commission President Elim Smith having resigned about two months ago, a new president had to be designated. Alderfer was voted to serve in that capacity earlier in the meeting.

Renewals without any known violations approved for a favorable recommendation by the commission included:

• J & M Enterprises Corp. of Northern Indiana, doing business as Channel Marker restaurant, 5793 E. Pickwick Road, Syracuse, beer, wine and liquor license – restaurant.

• Green Golf Partners LLC, doing business as Wawasee Golf Club, 12388 N. Bishop Road, Syracuse, beer and wine retailer license — restaurant.

• Claypool Inn LLC, doing business as Someplace Else Saloon, 108 S. Main St., Claypool, beer, wine and liquor license — restaurant.

• Kiyomi Inc., doing business as Kiyomi, 404 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, beer, wine and liquor license — riverfront and lakefront district.

• Brian K. Stalder, doing business as Lakeview Liquors, 103 E. Main St., Silver Lake, beer, wine and liquor license — package store.

• Los Toritos Mexican Restaurant Inc. doing business as Los Toritos, 717 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, beer, wine and liquor license – riverfront and lakefront district.