Family-Friendly Restaurant Plans on Hold Due to Dispute

When Nicky Rottens opens, it won’t be the family-friendly establishment owners Nick Tomasello and Tim Aaron had envisioned. Aaron blames the city, specifically the city manager.

“Blair King is standing in the way of this being a family restaurant. He told the ABC that we weren’t zoned to sell alcohol,” Aaron said.

King denies the charge.

“Not true,” said King. “I hope they have a fantastic, family restaurant. I wish them a lot of success.”

The owners have an adults-only liquor license from the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), but want it altered so minors can enter the restaurant. The application awaits approval.

King, in a letter to the agency, did not oppose the change. The city asked that Nicky Rottens not be allowed to serve alcohol on the mezzanine or in the part of the restaurant that fronts First Street.

Both are conditions in the use permit the City Council granted Tomasello and Aaron for the eatery on First and Orange Avenue, in spaces once occupied by a saloon and a laundromat.

“They are only permitted to use (the First Street area) for retail,” said Councilwoman Carrie Downey, who has been a strong advocate for the restaurant, of plans to sell branded shirts, hats and other items.

Aaron agreed that is the case, but added, “Our goal is to have the whole area open for dining.”

That's why they asked that the new liquor license cover the entire restaurant, the request that King objected to in his letter to the state.

There is also a parking issue. Businesses that expand have to provide more spaces, with the number determined by business type. The neighborhood is built out, so Aaron has had to look elsewhere.

He and Tomasello have been working on a valet system to park cars at another location and thought they had a deal with Albertsons, two blocks away.

That broke down when the city discovered a 1973 council resolution restricting parking in the Albertsons center to “patrons of the supermarket and other business located thereon ...” The partners are exploring other options.

Despite the obstacles, Aaron said, “Nicky Rottens will be open for business. It just won’t start out as the restaurant everybody said they wanted.”