Public Safety and Licensing Committee Monday night.Yeehaw, Racine! You're a step closer to getting a country-western bar.
The City Council's Public Safety and Licensing Committee voted unanimously Monday night to grant the "Raytown Roadhouse," 522 Sixth St., an alcohol license. The new bar and restaurant will have a country-western theme featuring live music, a steakhouse and a mechanical bull.
The "Raytown Roadhouse" is the creation of Jim Spodick and Pete Karas, who got the idea for the restaurant and bar walking around 7 Mile Fair. They noticed people drawn to a country music singer and realized there's an untapped market not only in Racine, but southeastern Wisconsin.
The new bar and restaurant is a career change for Karas and Spodick. Karas ran for mayor earlier this year, served on the City Council and used to sell insurance. Spodick opened the Historic Century Market at 522 Sixth St. and has hosted a number of businesses on Sixth Street, but he's still looking for a knockout success.
The same night the committee approved a liquor license for the Raytown Roadhouse, it rejected two other requests.
Tommy Daniels' bid to reopen a bar in the former "Cash Money's" at 901 S. Memorial Drive failed on a 3-1 vote with Alderman Jim Kaplan the lone member to support giving Daniels a license. Alderman Robert Mozol argued against the license, noting a murder occurred outside of the bar when it was open, but few, if any, incidents have been reported since it closed.
Kaplan supported the license because Daniels agreed to a series of security measures for the new business. But the video cameras, extra security and other provisions Daniels agreed to were not enough to convince Mozol and aldermen Sandy Weidner and David Maack.
Alderman Mike Shields, whose district includes the proposed bar, spoke in favor of the license. That leaves the vote total at 3-2 against heading into the next City Council meeting, where the license likely will be debated.
The committee also rejected Dwight Mosby's application for a liquor license at 1846 Mead St. Mosby wanted to open a bar that would be affiliated with the adjacent Prince Hall on Mead Street. He planned to limit the bar to patrons 25 and older.
Alderman Bob Anderson, whose district includes the proposed site, spoke against the license. He said neighbors strongly opposed the tavern. "Everybody said, 'Absolutely not,'" Anderson said.
Mosby's application now goes to the City Council for a final vote up or down.
Raytown sounds like the town of Raymond. Shouldn't it be called RayCity? what a silly name.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing 18th and Mead needs is a bar! C'mon Dwight - get serious! Doesn't matter if it's over 25 you already know darn well it's going to be a problem area with fights, shootings, drugs, etc.
ReplyDeleteGood job to the committee for saying NO.
And this is surprising news why???
ReplyDelete(1) Now Dickert will have one less competitor in the next Mayoral election (Karas probably can't own a bar and be Mayor if elected).
(2) They (Raytown owners) are White
And yes, I am also White.
Dirty, seedy, politically corrupt city.
Just my opinion.
1) Not true. Even if it was, did Dickert force Karas to open a bar?
ReplyDeleteYou should try to inform your opinions.
This should be a fun place. It is about time Racine gets something different.
ReplyDeleteUsed to be a country western bar out by the I-94(very popular in it's heyday) a few years back, there is a bar with the western country theme by H & Hwy 142 in Kenosha(get's packed on weekends), and there is also a couple of bar's around town with that theme also, so it's not "an untapped market". Don't think there is too many country western fan's in the downtown area, wish em luck though.
ReplyDeletePete - Hey you stole my line in your headline - YeeHaw.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem to be an opposition from the business owner's on 6th St. over this one. Probably because he's not Korean. What a bunch of bigots and hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteActually the Middle Branch Saloon (the bar on hwy H and 142) closed last year so, it isn't packed on the weekends anymore. Cool bar inside however.
ReplyDeleteLook at the bright side. This is an experiment that doesn't require taxpayer dollars, bailout or multi trillion dollar debt. I realize right now it is hard to recognize free enterprise at work but if I remember correct this is what it looks like.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually smart. The ghetto thugs don't go where there is country, so there will be virtually no problems there. Nice!
ReplyDelete8:17
ReplyDeleteI agree there are many racists in the Downtown Racine area. Many of them fought the Koreans trying to open their store.
Have Pete K. has a business downtown is a good start to fighting back.
YES to noise, congestion, drunk driving, litter and public intoxication for visitors.
ReplyDeleteNO to clean quiet package goods for neighborhood residents.
Corrupt
Racist
Racine
The same old boy crony network is alive and well in Ray town. Fritz Cape must have approved this one, or else it wouldn't have gone through. I don't know how many country music fans will actually go to that side of downtown at night.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fantastic. I want to ride the bull. Reminds me of Urban Cowboy movie.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the council on the other two disapprovals.
Can I say that I am fed up with the baggy pants under your buttocks? Saw a guy wearing elastic waste gym shorts under his butt, boxers fully out. How long will they do this? I am not wearing parachute pants anymore for pitty's sake.
I miss Greg Helding explaining how the aldermen know better than the people who elected them how to run our city. Who shooed him off the blogs? Dickert?
ReplyDeleteNo one shooed me. I just got tired of wading through all the anonymous ignorance.
ReplyDeleteWhat about all the non-anonymous ingorance?
ReplyDeleteSurely, Greg you have thicker skin than that. You cannot hold a position like alderman or mayor and not be able to ignore.
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