The Select Board denied an application from the owner of the Hungry Coyote restaurant at 1185 Highland Ave. for a new liquor license.
After a 30-minute public hearing Sept. 4, the board cited several reasons, including “a history of ignoring orders of local municipal bodies,” for rejecting the application.
The request from Nezahualcoyotl “Francisco” Leon was an attempt to regain an offering the restaurant had at the time of its 2019 opening but which was suspended in January 2022 after the restaurant remained open in defiance of an order from the Needham Public Health Division suspending its license.
The public health suspension was due to unsanitary conditions and not an alcohol-related violation. The restaurant was closed for about a week before the issue was remedied to the satisfaction of the public health department.
The Select Board held a hearing on the issue on Jan. 11, 2022, and voted to suspend the liquor license for at least 30 days. The suspension was to remain in place until Leon provided documentation regarding the role of license manager and all required corporate filings.
The suspension was still in place when Leon made a request to lift it in February of 2023. The Select Board said Leon failed to provide required documentation in support of that request.
Leon and the Select Board were never able to reach an agreement to restore the license to sell alcohol. On July 25, 2023, the Select Board canceled the license for “non-use.”
Speaking at the outset of the hearing, Leon said, “Well, I’m here again asking all the board for your help to (keep) the Hungry Coyote alive.
“I know there’s some stuff in my record that I’m not very proud of, ” he said. “I paid my dues for the mistakes that I made in my life, and I’m here asking for another opportunity for us to serve alcohol again.”
Select Board Chair Kevin Keane then began a methodical review of the license application, which the Select Board ultimately found lacking in several respects.
“This business does have a history of suspension and loss of a prior liquor license in the town,” said Keane. “Accordingly, I’ve asked the staff to review the history for the benefit of the board and the inclusion of the record for this hearing.”
The Select Board found errors and omissions in the restaurant’s application that it described as concerning, such as making no mention of the suspension when asked about its disciplinary record and inconsistent reporting of the identity of the manager of record. The board also cited delays in providing documents required to conduct the hearing.
“The track record that exists here is troubling,” said member Marianne Cooley. “The defying of town orders to suspend operations in the past is severely problematic. I would have difficulty overcoming those facts.”
Leon asked the board to consider his more recent dealings with the health department staff, both at Hungry Coyote and at a second restaurant he now operates, El Mariachi, at 73 Highland Ave.
“Me and the health department are back to normal friendship, or partnership,” he said. “There are not any issues whatsoever. We have become a different company. I learned a lot from my own mistakes.”
“Me and Sai,” he added, referring to Sai Palani, the town’s environmental health agent, “we’ve been working on a lot of different things in both locations. I am in compliance today.”
About 20 minutes into the hearing, the board voted to go into executive session, citing the Open Meeting Law exception for discussing the content of Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) reports.
When the hearing was reopened after the private executive session, a motion was made to vote on the application. Prior to voting, Keane explained that licensing criteria also require an evaluation of the applicant’s character.
“I think, given the totality of the evidence — the application itself, the past record — that we do not meet this legal standard,” said member Cathy Dowd.
“We have a facility that is virtually across the street from the high school. I don’t think we have the good character needed to meet this standard.”
The board then voted unanimously to deny the application. Leon can appeal to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Save as PDF