Gourmeltz wins, its liquor license restored: ‘We aren’t paying a dime’

 

The Virginia ABC will restore the Spotsylvania County restaurant’s liquor license following a raid on the joint.

According to a press release, the Virginia ABC and Gourmeltz have agreed to resolve all issues associated with the serving of alcohol products without the requisite license to do so at the restaurant. Effective December 23, 2022, the mixed beverage, wine, and beer licenses of Gourmeltz will be reinstated.

On December 2, 2022, ABC agents came to Gourmeltz on Route 1, seized $10,000 of liquor, and downloaded data from the restaurant’s computers. It was the latest move in a chess game between the state and restaurant owner Matt Strickland, going on since January 2021, when the health department ordered Gourmeltz to close for not adhering to former Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order requiring restaurants to limit the number of patrons inside their restaurants due to coronavirus fears.

Strickland, now a conservative candidate for state senate, took his case to court in March 2021 and won. Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual denied the Virginia State Board of Health and the State Health Commissioner a temporary injunction that would have required Gourmeltz to close.

Despite the ruling, his liquor license was still suspended in the state’s eyes. So, in August 2021, Strickland stood before the ABC Board of Directors to appeal to restore the permit, but they denied his appeal.

“It is understood and agreed by the Parties that the Consent Agreement and related obligations are neither an admission nor denial of liability or wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties,” a press release states.

Strickland took to Twitter to celebrate the announcement. “WE won! Summary: we’re getting our product and license back, and we aren’t paying a dime. When Patriots stand together & fight, we win. Every time,” he wrote.

Strictland has received national media attention since the raid, which he live-streamed on Facebook as it happened. On Tuesday, December 6, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed an executive order requiring state agencies to stop calling on businesses to collect fines issued during the coronavirus lockdown. He also ordered state officials to formulate a plan to refund businesses that paid coronavirus-related fines.

In addition to mandatory facemasks wearing, the state also limited the number of people who could occupy a restaurant and prohibited people from sitting at bars during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Gourmeltz never adhered to the orders signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam.

Strickland, who is seeking the Republican nomination in District 27 in Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties, was critical of fell Republicans Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, saying the executive order didn’t go far enough and provided little assurances that businesses that were negatively affected by the state’s overreach would be made whole.

Virginia ABC said about $4,000 of the alcohol it seized wouldn’t be returned because it’s “unsaleable” and unsafe for consumption. Strickland told PLN he wouldn’t be reimbursed for the loss.

“It is understood and agreed by the Parties that the Consent Agreement and related obligations are neither an admission nor denial of liability or wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties,” states ABC in a press release.

Gourmeltz, which specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, may begin selling liquor again on  December 23, 2022, at 8 a.m.