Showing posts with label rio restaurant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rio restaurant. Show all posts

Rio Restaurant & Sports Lounge - Menu

Rio Restaurant & Sports Lounge - Menu

PLEASE FORWARD - Last Call for Emails OR Attendance for Feb 3 Liquor Board Hearing Regarding Rio bar

If you are reading this message
You are part of the solution -- Thanks !

Please consider using the Email Icon below
To Forward this post to everyone you know who may be interested i
n an opportunity to express their own views directly to the Liquor Board


For more history see j.mp/rio2010jan

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Stop the Violence

February 3, 2010 7 pm Liquor Board Hearing
Regarding Rio Restaurant & Lounge
Request to extend its hours of operation to 2 AM
To operate as a Bar not as a "Family Friendly restaurant"

As you may know, after only 2 months of operation since Dec 2, 2009, the new owner of Rio Restaurant & Lounge(13501 Baltimore Ave at Contee Rd, formerly Rio Sports Bar & Grill) will be given a Liquor Board hearing on Feb 3 7 pm to consider his request to loosen the years-long standing liquor license restrictions at that location. Those restrictions have been put in place and annually renewed by the Liquor Board at the long-standing request of our community associations, organizations, residents, and elected officials, to require that location to operate as a "Family Friendly restaurant", to prevent any recurrence of the long history of violence at that location (formerly the violent clubs Dinosaurs and Amazon).

1) Last Call for Your Emails to the Liquor Board by 3 pm Wednesday February 3 regarding Rio bar

You and your friends -- who are Prince George's County Registered Voters -- please consider sending an email to the County Liquor Board expressing opposition to Rio Bar's request to extend its hours and/or your own views for delivery by 3 pm February 3.

Below is sample text to copy/paste, and modify to express your own views :

Dear Prince George's County Liquor Board, Chairman Jackson

Subject: OPPOSE Rio Restaurant & Lounge Extending Hours of Operation and any Loosening of License Conditions

I, (FULL NAME), living at (FULL ADDRESS), am a Prince George's County registered voter,

I oppose loosening any of the current liquor license conditions for Rio Restaurant & Lounge located at 13501 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, Maryland 20707

I specifically oppose any extension of the hours of operation.

I believe that the two months that Rio Restaurant & Lounge will have been in operation since opening December 2, 2009 is a totally inadequate amount of time in which to assess whether to loosen any of the current conditions on their liquor license, including any extension of the hours of operation, due to the long history of violence at that location.

I believe that any loosening of the conditions on this liquor license is a threat to the peace and safety of the community.

Respectfully,
[Your Signature Block]
===============================================

2) Attending
February 3, 2010 7 pm Liquor Board Hearing
Regarding Rio Restaurant & Lounge
As many of us as possible (registered voter or not) can try to attend the Liquor Board hearing at 7 pm Wednesday February 3. You do not need to stay long at the hearing -- You can just stand up at the beginning of the hearing when the Chairman literally counts how many are present "in Opposition" to Rio's request (and how many are "For") -- it's not a vote -- but it is a very effective way to show our community's opposition to Rio's attempt to expand its operating hours to operate as a Bar not as a "Family Friendly restaurant" (see below). The hearing will be held at:

Board of License Commissioners
County Service Building
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Room 200
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781

(MAP)

PARKING:

  • Ignore the "Public Parking" sign that seems to point to Farragut Ave
  • Enter the underground garage by turning off Route 1 onto 43d Avenue (south of County services Building). The garage entrance is on your immediate right.
  • Park on Level P1 or P2 and remember your parking space number.
  • Go to level P put your parking space number and money in the parking payment kiosk
    (75 cents per hour, coins or credit card only -- no bills)

As you face the parking payment kiosk, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue (County Service Building) is behind you across the court yard. Once in the County Service Building, proceed to the second floor. Go to Hearing Room 200 (not 204)

Rio Restaurant & Lounge Hearing Now Feb 3 - Petitions / Emails / FAX Letters (2011)

Please share this information widely.
Please send emails and petitions as described below
Soonest but no later than 3 pm February 3.

For this article & updates: j.mp/rio2010jan

For recent Rio history: j.mp/rio2009july

Update Jan 31, 2010:

Update Jan 8, 2010:
Now that the hearing date has changed to 7 pm Wednesday February 3, please download and circulate this revised petition form. (To preserve earlier links, the filename was not changed.) Please do not continue to circulate the old (Jan 13) petition form, but please do deliver to the Liquor Board in any remaining signed copies of the old (Jan 13) petition.

Please deliver petitions to the Liquor Board soonest, but no later than 3 pm February 3.


Board of License Commissioners
County Service Building
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Room 204
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Phone: (301) 699-2770
Fax: (301) 985-3548

Please also consider sending the following revised message text with your elaborating comments from yourself individually and separately by your community organization by email or FAX or letter delivered to the Liquor Board soonest, but no later than 3 pm February 3.

Revised opposition email/letter/FAX text:



To: Prince George's County Liquor Board, Chairman Jackson
Subject: OPPOSE Rio Restaurant & Lounge Extending Hours of Operation and any Loosening of license conditions

I, (FULL NAME), living at (FULL ADDRESS), am a Prince George's County registered voter,
[For organizations: and President/etc of the XYZ Homeowners Association/etc ].

I oppose loosening any of the current liquor license conditions for Rio Restaurant & Lounge located at 13501 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, Maryland 20707

I specifically oppose any extension of the hours of operation.

I believe that the one or even two months that Rio Restauant & Lounge will have been in operation since opening December 2, 2009 is a totally inadequate amount of time in which to assess whether to loosen any of the current conditions on their liquor license, including any extension of the hours of operation.

I believe that any loosening of the conditions on this liquor license is a threat to the peace and safety of the community.
Respectfully,
[Your Signature Block]
==========

Update Jan 7, 2010:
This afternoon i received notification from the Liquor Board that the January 13, 2010 hearing for Rio Restaurant & Lounge has been continued (rescheduled) to February 3, 2010 at 7 pm at the County Services Building in Hyattsville.

February 3, 2010 7:00 P.M.
Board of License Commisioners / Liquor Board
County Service Building, Hearing Room 200
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Thanks to all who were able to write to the Liquor Board on such short notice. And special thanks to our elected Representatives, and their staff, who sent letters and otherwise engaged the Liquor Board on behalf of our Community:


MD District 21 Senator - Jim Rosapepe (Carolyn Brenner, Stacey Baca)
MD District 21 Delegate - Barbara Frush
MD District 21 Delegate - Ben Barnes
MD District 21 Delegate - Joseline Peña-Melnyk
MD District 23 Senator - Douglas Peters
MD District 23A Delegate - Gerron Levi
MD District 23A Delegate - James Hubbard
Prince George's County District 1 Councilman & Council Chair - Tom Dernoga (Laura Moore)
Prince George's County Education Board Member District 1 Rosalind Johnson
City of Laurel, Mayor Moe


If you have not yet sent a message to the Liquor Board, please do so, expressing your opposition to loosening any of Rio's liquor license conditions as described on this web page J.MP/rio2010jan (see UPDATE Jan 8, 2010 for revised message text and a revised petition) -- Omit opposition to the Jan 13 hearing date because that hearing is now rescheduled to Feb 3.
==========

Update Jan 5, 2010:
Please reserve Jan 13 7 pm for Possible Rio Hearing [now Feb 3]
Even as we urgently send the Liquor Board our emails, letters, faxs and petitions to change the scheduled Rio hearing date (see below), please try to reserve January 13 7 pm [now Feb 3] on your calendars, so as many of us as possible can go to Hyattsville on that date to attend the Liquor Board hearing IF the hearing is not rescheduled to later as we are requesting.

Just standing up at the beginning of the Liquor Board hearing when the Chairman literally counts how many are present "in Opposition" to Rio's request (and how many are "For") -- its not a vote -- but it is very effective in showing our communty's opposition to Rio's attempt to expand its operating hours (see below). Such very late hours are totally inconsistent with Rio's long standing liquor license requirement that they operate as a "Family-Friendly" restaurant, due to the long history of violence at that location. Community organization leaders and elected legislators would be testifying, but attendance by a large number of citizens sends a unique and powerful message -- which has been very successful for our community at past hearings like this.

Of course, we hope the hearing will be rescheduled to much later in the year -- which is why your emails, letters, and petitions are so important and urgent right now -- and you will be notified immediately if/when that happens -- but we may not learn that until the very last moment -- so we need to be prepared for Jan 13, just in case. [now Feb 3]

So, please try to join our email, letter, and petition campaign -- and also attend the hearing if you can (see below)

==========

On Dec 31, 2009, just before the New Year's holiday weekend, we learned from a Laurel Gazette article that a Liquor Board hearing is scheduled at 7 pm Wednesday, January 13, 2010 [now Feb 3] for Rio Restaurant & Lounge (which was confirmed by a call to the Liquor Board.) That hearing was requested by Rio owner, Mr. Tak Yoon, to extend his hours of operation (*) and possibly also to argue for the loosening of other conditions requested by the community, which were approved by the Liquor Board on July 28, 2009 due to the long history of violence at that location. (Liquor Board Letter, July 29, 2009).
At the July 28, 2009 hearing, the Liquor Board said it would schedule a hearing to review this license in no less than six months (i.e. no earlier than January 2010). At that time, Rio was expected to open soon -- giving several months of Rio operations to consider in a January 2010 hearing. But Rio did not open until Dec 2, 2009. Now, after only one month in operation, the Rio owner is already trying to extend Rio's hours of operation to later than those imposed by the Liquor Board. (*).
I am asking community residents -- and community organization leaders on behalf of your organizations -- to please consider immediately sending emails or faxed letters to the Liquor Board requesting that the January 13 [now Feb 3] hearing should be rescheduled to no earlier than June 2010 [June 2010], to provide adequate experience with Rio operations before considering any loosening of the Rio's current liquor licence conditions -- but such a hearing should be in no case earlier than February 10, 2010, as a matter of fairness, due process, and open government. (See example wording below)

We have since learned that Mr. Tak Yoon appeared at a regularly scheduled 10 AM session of the Liquor Board on December 22, 2009 to submit his request for extended hours of operations. But the Liquor Board declined to hear his request at that time. The Board scheduled the January 13, 2010 evening hearing so that community Persons of Record in the case could attend, but somehow, our community Persons of Record did not receive any notice that the Liquor Board's regularly scheduled January 13, 7 pm administrative session would deal in any way with Rio. (Liquor Board Rule & Regulation 25).(*) We understand that the extended hours being requested by Rio are:
  • Monday through Friday -- extending closing from 11:30 pm to 1 am
  • Sunday -- extending closing from 11:30 pm to 2 am
  • Sunday -- extending opening from 12:30 pm to one hour earlier at 11:30 am
PETITIONS:
Given the very short notice we all have received, nonetheless, if you can, please download this petition [revised for February 3 hearing] and collect signatures from local residents (must be Prince George's County registered voters) and deliver them by hand, mail, or FAX to the Liquor Board by no later than Noon January 13 (and earlier if possible) [now Feb 3] so there is time for Liquor Board staff to verify the names and addresses with the county voter registration rolls.

Board of License Commissioners
County Service Building

5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Room 204
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Phone: (301) 699-2770
Fax: (301) 985-3548

EMAIL or FAXed Letters:
From Individuals and additionally from Organization Leaders on behalf of your Organization:

You can copy/paste/modify the following text into your own email or faxed letter (not as a petition with multiple names) AND your own elaborative comments
This following email text is now outdated by events -- please use the email text above under Update Jan 8


To: Prince George's County Liquor Board, Chairman Jackson
 Subject: OPPOSE Jan 13 [now Feb 3] Rio Hearing and Hours Extension.
I, (FULL NAME), living at (FULL ADDRESS), am a Prince George's County registered voter,
[For organizations: and President/etc of the XYZ Homeowners Association/etc ].
1) I oppose loosening any of the current liquor license conditions for Rio Restaurant & Lounge located at 13501 Baltimore Ave., Laurel, Maryland 20707; including, but not limited to, opposition to extending the hours of operation.
2) I oppose holding the liquor board hearing on this matter on January 13, 2010, as currently scheduled.
3) I request that this hearing be held no earlier than June 2010 and in no case before February 10, 2010
I believe that the only one or even two months that Rio Restauant & Lounge will have been in operation since opening December 2, 2009 is a totally inadequate amount of time in which to assess whether to loosen any of the current conditions on their liquor license, including any extension of the hours of operation.
Moreover, Persons of Record representing our community somehow did not receive notice from the Liquor Board, that the January 13 hearing would address Rio Restaurant & Lounge (R.R. 25).
Further, I believe that any loosening of the conditions on this liquor license is a threat to the peace and safety of the community.
[Your Signature Block]
===========================================

You are of course, free to communicate any other thoughts you wish in any way to the Liquor Board.


In any case please do not forward this entire message to the Liquor Board
-- just your own personal correspondence

Rio Restaurant & Lounge Now Open

Rio Restaurant & Lounge is now open, since December 2. The owner 
said that a Grand Opening is planned soon.

Rio Sports Bar Sign Says Coming Soon Now Hiring

Update Saturday Nov 21, 2009: Since sometime before 2 pm Rio's electric sign is on again, with this wording: Coming Soon ... Rio Sports Lounge ... Now Hiring ... 
===
Update Tuesday Nov 17, 2009: Since sometime before 10:45 am Rio's electric sign is dark again.
===
Update Monday Nov 16, 2009: Since sometime before 4:45 pm Rio's electric sign is on again, with essentially the same wording as before.
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Update Monday Nov 9, 2009: Since sometime before 2:30 pm Rio's electric sign is dark again.
===
Update Sunday Nov 8, 2009: Some time before 9:30 pm Rio's electric sign has been operating again with essentially the same wording as before.
===
Update Nov 3, 2009:  The sign operated for a few days after Oct 3, but appears mostly dark since then.
===
The new electric sign for Rio Sports Lounge (behind Sakura Restaurant in Contee Station on the east side of Route 1 near Contee Rd) became active on or before Saturday, Oct 3, saying, to the best of my recollection, inter alia: "Rio Restaurant and Sports Lounge -- Coming Soon -- Now Hiring -- NFL 2009".

For background see J.MP/riostory .

Rio Sports Bar & Grille Liquor License - Updates


The short address for this post is J.MP/rio2009july
Please tell your friends
Or email this post to friends using the envelope icon below


UPDATE: Aug 12, 2009
Just received this July 29, 2009 Prince George's County Liquor Board letter, which communicates in detail the Liquor Board's decision at their July 28, 2009 hearing, to transfer the Rio Sports Bar & Grille liquor license to the new owner, Mr. Yoon with all previously existing conditions and restrictions (as listed in the letter). At the July 28 hearing, the Liquor Board said it will schedule a hearing to review this license in no less than six months (i.e. no earlier than January 2010). Rio Sports Bar & Grille is still closed.

UPDATE: Aug 6, 2009
==============
UPDATE: July 28, 2009 No More Need for Letters to Liquor Board:
At today's PG Liquor Board hearing, the Liquor Board voted to transfer the Rio license to Mr. Yoon with all current restrictions. The Liquor Board agreed to continue its current prohibition against using of the deck.


Much thanks from our community to these public officials who testified at the hearing:
  • PG County District 1 Councilman Dernoga (and aid Thacher) and by letter.
  • MD District 23/A Senator Peters (and for Delegates Levi & Hubbard) and by delegation letter
  • MD District 21 Senator Rosapepe (and for Delegates Frush, Pena-Melnyk, and Barnes) and by delegation letter.
  • By letter from City of Laurel Mayor Moe.
  • PG Police District VI Acting Comander & Community Response Team testimony regarding incident history at the Rio Sports Bar location before and after Rio opened in 2006 through present.
The Liquor Board decision included that there will be a hearing in six months to assess the overall status of Rio Sports Bar operations, review existing conditions, and consider any new conditions.
No More Need for Letters to Liquor Board

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UPDATE: July 24, 2009 :
Thanks to Prince George's County District 1 Councilman Tom Dernoga for sending this letter today to the Liquor Board about Rio Sports Bar & Grille.

This is a reformatted example opposition letter which you can now print, fill-in the blanks, sign and then communicate to the Liquor Board -- and you can edit it.

Anyone communicating to the Liquor Board, please include your name and full address (street, city, state) so the Liquor Board can know you are a Prince George's county resident.
==============
Please ask your friends who are Prince George's County registered voters to read this article at this easy to remember web address j.mp/rio2009july and then communicate their views no later than Monday July 27, 2009.

See fax, email and delivery address below -- it's too late for mail.
==============

Need Letters & Petitions Opposing Rio Sports Bar Liquor License

Need You to attend Liquor Board Hearing 10 am Tues Jul 28

Testify or simply attend to be counted For or Opposed

The Liquor Board hearing room address is below.

As you may know, recently a new owner planned to reopen the violence/shooting plagued J's Cafe location with a new bar, Sweet Moon Grille, in Crystal Plaza (near the post office). The new owner ran a well-documented violent establishment in Arlington, VA, so residents, community associations, and churches in South Laurel and Beltsville protested with letters and petitions, resulting in withdrawal of that liquor license application, which forced the new owner to abandon the lease. (Sweet Moon Grill history)

Nearby Rio Sports Bar & Grille has been bought by Mr. Tak Yoon (believed to be associated with Rio Bravo in Langley Park and Galaxy II in Silver Spring), who plans to reopen Rio Sports Bar (which is closed for the past 6 months due to lawsuits among current owner Mr. Sung H. Lee and his partners). Mr. Tak Yoon has applied to have the current liquor license transfered to him from Mr. Sung H. Lee.

The Rio Sports Bar location has a long history of violence, shooting and violations (Dinosaurs, Club Amazon, Rio Sports Bar).

Please consider reading this example opposition letter (now revised so you can print, fill-in the blanks and sign it for fax or delivery -- you can also edit that letter file) and consider sending a letter to the Liquor Board expressing your own views. The example letter details specific existing restrictions (*) and requested new restrictions on that liquor license that many community representatives, including our elected representatives have agreed are necessary to try to ensue safe operation of Rio Sports Bar & Grille as a genuine "family friendly sit down restaurant" which the Liquor Board has already twice ordered be a condition on this license. Local representatives' letters are forthcoming. Please feel free to adopt, adapt, modify or ignore parts or all of the example letter, which is provided only as convenient information and inspiration for writing your own letter. (*) The existing restrictions are the restrictions that were requested by City of Laurel in this Sep 25, 2006 letter to the Liquor Board.

All correspondence or petitions must be received by the Liquor Board no later than NOON Monday July 27.

Prince Geoge's County
Board of License Commissioners - Liquor Board
Chairman Franklin D. Jackson
County Service Building
5012 Rhode Island Avenue - Room 204
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
Phone: (301) 699-2770
Fax: (301) 985-3548
Email: DMBryant@co.pg.md.us

Letters can be sent by email, fax, or hand delivered, but petitions must be hand delivered, because we understand they need the original signatures. (too late for mail)

This opposition petition is circulating in the community. Feel free to use that form to collect signatures from Prince George's County residents who are registered to vote, because that is how the Liquor Board validates signatures.

Try to put at least 3 signatures on each page, preferably 5 -- not just one or two per page -- unless really unavoidable. This helps get all our petitions properly vetted by the Liquor Board.

Please turn in all petitions directly to the Liquor Board by Noon Monday July 27 or to a petition collector who can deliver them.

This is hard for people who work and have other obligations.

But this is one exercise in democracy which our local community has proven time and time again does work for us residents if we participate,

So, whatever your own views, please consider participating in every way that you can (letter, petition, attendance, testimony, or simply stand up at the hearing to be counted For or Opposed) because the prospects for good outcome improve with increased participation.
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