Could a new Italian restaurant open in State College? Here’s what’s next

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The original story, published March 21, has been updated to reflect the April 3 public hearing.)

A new casual Italian restaurant has shared its intentions to move into downtown State College, but it’s first seeking the transfer of a liquor license — after a similar situation drew some push-back in February.

Figo Italian, which has a location in Philadelphia, is looking to open on the ground floor of The Standard at State College (330 W. College Ave.), according to a public application filed by the restaurant. While liquor license transfers are not unusual, what makes Figo Italian’s unique is that this license would be coming from outside the borough, giving elected officials greater latitude in deciding how to handle the request.

Because Figo Italian is set to purchase the license from Luna 2, which previously operated in College Township, State College Borough Council must ultimately approve the transfer. And, due to state law, Borough Council can choose to deny it — or approve with a number of restrictions, from what time alcohol is served to whether it can even advertise deals involving alcohol.

It’s unknown at this early point whether Figo Italian would still open if the transfer was denied and/or heavily restricted.

A hearing on the matter took place Monday night, but Borough Council will not discuss the issue until April 10. A decision is expected to come some time before May 1.

Deja vu?

A similar situation already played out in the borough earlier this year.

Brothers Bar & Grill, a Midwestern sports bar, expressed a desire to open at 134 S. Allen St., the former site of the Amazon Pickup Store. Brothers sought a liquor license transfer from Fuji & Jade Garden on Westerly Parkway, which was technically located within the borough but whose own license — with restrictions — came from outside the borough in 2006.

That gave Borough Council the same options it now has with Figo Italian: Deny, approve or approve with restrictions.

Brothers co-owners Eric and Mark Fortney bristled at some potential restrictions, such as a requirement that food account for 60% of its business, and intimated they couldn’t open if those were implemented. Ultimately, Council voted 5-1 to approve the transfer with minimal conditions, such as alcohol sales only being allowed when food is still being served.

Both the police chief and neighbors expressed concern the sports bar could lead to an increased strain on police. (Chief John Gardner said calls to establishments with restaurant liquor licenses were significantly greater than calls to other borough properties.) And those same concerns were expressed again Monday with Figo Italian, which described itself in an attorney’s letter as “casual” but described itself at the hearing as “upscale” and not necessarily geared toward students.

Though similar, there are plenty of differences between Figo Italian and Brothers outside of the food. The latter already has 17 locations nationally and five in other Big Ten towns, meaning the borough could communicate with other municipalities on whether Brothers was a good partner. (It reportedly was.)

The company that owns Figo Italian operates mainly in the Philadelphia area, and Figo Italian has just one other location.

Both Brothers and Figo Italian are also represented by the same law firm, Pittsburgh-based Flaherty & O’Hara, one of the country’s largest liquor licensing practices.

Restaurant details

In its application with the borough, Figo Italian is described as a full-service casual Italian restaurant with a separate side for a fast-casual pizza counter.

Anticipated hours are noon to midnight Monday-Thursday; noon to 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday; and noon to 10/11 p.m. Sunday. (The Philadelphia location closes at 10 p.m. every day.)

Meals are expected to range from $12 to $20. The Philadelphia menu includes specialties such as Spicy Rigatoni ($22), 16-inch Margherita pizza ($20) and Chicken Parmigiana ($25).

The capacity is not yet known, but at least 35 customers will be able to sit at the bar.

Figo Italian’s proposal comes six months after borough officials expressed concern over vacant storefronts downtown, especially among the high-rises, which boast enough combined empty space to nearly fill up a Walmart Supercenter (200,000 square feet). That makes Council’s upcoming decision noteworthy for what could be separate competing interests: State College Borough wants additional business, but not everyone wants the addition of alcohol due to the potential strain on police.

Gardner recommended Monday that, if Borough Council wants to approve the transfer, it attach four conditions: Alcohol sales not permitted when food sales are unavailable, no discounted drink specials nor alcoholic advertising permitted, no alcoholic beverages sold in containers larger than 22 fluid ounces and no smoking throughout the restaurant.

It is unknown if the restaurant would still plan to open if Borough Council chose to deny the liquor license or if it attached certain conditions to the license.

Timothy Lu, one of Figo Italian’s principal owners, shared with Council that the restaurant intended to be a 70/30 split between food and alcohol. But, when Councilman Peter Marshall asked if the owners would voluntarily agree to a required 60/40 split, Figo Italian’s attorney spoke up away from the microphone and declined on his client’s behalf.

Council is set to discuss the issue in greater detail April 10.