CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Another liquor license has been transferred following approval from the Cheyenne City Council.
As of Monday night, 1734 Partners LLC is the owner of a retail liquor license originally held by Old Chicago Taproom, which closed in April. 1734 Partners is the original owner of the license and had been leasing it to Old Chicago, per comments made by councilmembers during the meeting. The liquor license will cover business activities at 1734 Meadowland Drive, the same building where Old Chicago was located. The license is active until March 31, 2025, per the transfer application.
1734 Partners LLC may intend to lease the license to an off-track betting facility, per comments made by councilmember. The license applicant is Casper businessman John Johnson, owner of Johnson Restaurant Group, Inc. Johnson operates a variety of eatery brands, including J’s Pub, Old Chicago, Firerock and the Backdoor Lounge.
The city’s governing body held a public hearing for the transfer at its Sept. 9 meeting, though nobody stepped forward to provide any statements. However, several Cheyenne councilmembers expressed concern about the gambling facility at Monday’s meeting, with some voting against the transfer.
“There’s a belief that we have saturated the market,” for betting facilities, said Michelle Aldrich, who voted against the license transfer. “Maybe it’s just better to let them go and let them fail. However, I really don’t want to build our community and our revenue base on gambling and alcohol.”
Councilmember Richard Johnson concurred with Aldrich. He said he voted against the transfer because it was unclear to him exactly what the license will be used for.
“When it comes down to it, this [the number of betting facilities in Cheyenne] is a hot topic,” Johnson told Cap City News on Tuesday. He noted that around 10 off-track betting facilities currently operate in Cheyenne.
Councilmember Jeff White noted that the liquor license had to revert to Johnson, its original owner, in order for any future action to be made. This would include leasing the license to a gambling facility, which council would at some point have to approve again.
The transfer passed on a 6-3 vote, with Aldrich, Richard Johnson and Pete Laybourn dissenting.
Update, 9/24/24: This story has been updated to include additional information on the applicant, comments from city councilmembers and to clarify that the license was being leased to Old Chicago Taproom. The story has also been altered to clarify that the owner may lease the license to an off-track betting business, per comments from councilmembers.
