Wisma's New Liquor License Gains Village Approval

Wisma customers may soon be able to not only sip, but also savor their purchases in-house, thanks to a new class of liquor license.

After receiving a request from Chef and Proprietor John des Rosiers, the Lake Bluff Village Board passed an ordinance Monday establishing a new class of liquor license, Class Z, authorizing the retail sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises where it is sold.

According to des Rosiers, customers ask daily if consumption on the property is an option. The Lake Bluff retail food store, 24 E. Scranton Ave., specializes in fully-prepared meals and currently holds a Class A license, which allows only limited tasting activities in the store.

“We wanted this so that if people wanted to have a glass of wine during the day, or have a beer with their sandwich, they could,” des Rosiers said.

Des Rosiers said the request was popular with the after-work crowd especially.

“We’ve had a group of people come in at 4 or 5 o’clock and buy beer for their train home, but they also wanted to sit down and hang out for a bit,” he said.

In addition to customers wanting an occasional drink with their food, des Rosiers said the new license will make Wisma an event destination.

“Everyone has different budgets. People want to have different places to go for cocktail receptions. We’re less formal than a hall or restaurant,” des Rosiers said.

In his formal request to the Village, des Rosiers said over time, he believed the new license would increase Wisma’s overall food sales by a minimum of 20 percent.

“We believe this will benefit our business significantly in increased sales for food, wine and beer. The benefit of being able to sit down and have a drink would give our patrons one more reason to stop in and shop for food,” des Rosiers explained in the request.

According to Assistant to the Village Administrator Brandon Stanick, a Class A license is required for an establishment to request a Class Z license. Stanick said Dominick’s grocery store is currently the only other Class A license holder in Lake Bluff.

Although the ordinance has passed establishing the new class of license, Wisma has yet to apply for the Class Z license and be approved before consumption on the property is allowed.

For more information on Wisma’s services, visit http://wisma.us.