Pacific Beach residents fight Denny’s liquor license

Diners in Pacific Beach may soon be able to order a beer with their bacon and eggs — that is, if the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control board grants the Denny's restaurant on Mission Boulevard and Garnet Avenue a liquor license.

It will be a tall order for the restaurant to get the license. Staff for the Alcohol and Beverage Control denied Denny's application shortly after it was submitted in July of last year. Now the restaurant is appealing that decision, enticing residents who have been fighting the proliferation of alcohol licenses to get involved. On Wednesday, January 8, residents will appear before an administrative law judge to ask that the appeal is denied.

"This is not about whether Denny’s is a good business. It’s about how even the best-run alcohol outlets impact the community when there are just too many licenses already packed into one area," reads a statement from Rob Hall, spokesperson for the North City Prevention Coalition, a group that has long opposed the increase in alcohol licenses. "This is not about any one individual alcohol license but rather the proliferation of licenses that are concentrated near neighborhoods."

Neighbors aren't the only ones who oppose the application for a license. Hall says the San Diego Police Department as well as the local Alcoholic Beverage Control branch are also against it.

"[T]his area has more alcohol arrests and citations than any other part of San Diego; nearly six times the citywide average but, it wouldn’t be the first time that Sacramento has overruled the cops and local [Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control]," says Hall.

The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. at 701 B Street, third floor.