Italian restaurant closer to opening in downtown State College after liquor license transfer
A new Italian restaurant with Philadelphia roots is expected to open in downtown State College later this year, after Borough Council approved a liquor license transfer — with conditions — Monday.
Figo Italian, which has one other location in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood, is planned for the ground floor of The Standard at State College (330 W. College Ave.). According to public documents, the full-service restaurant will include a 35-seat bar in addition to an unknown number of booths and tables. It’s also permitted to have music.
After publication, Timothy Chiye Lu — one of the principal owners — told the CDT the group would “ideally” like to open sometime this fall. They only just started the planning and design phase for the new location.
Figo Italian’s attorney last month implied it would not be a student bar, as most entrees at the Philadelphia location range between $24 (Chicken Saltimbocca) and $40 (Bone-In Veal).
License conditions
Because the liquor license came from outside the borough — from College Township — Borough Council was able to impose certain restrictions that it otherwise wouldn’t have the authority to do. (It also could’ve rejected the transfer altogether.)
Among the conditions for Monday’s approved transfer:
Food-alcohol beverage ratio: Figo Italian must abide by a 60%/40% food-alcohol beverage ratio for each biannual (every 2 years) renewal period, with quarterly reports to the borough to verify sales. Although Borough Council has opted to exclude such ratios in past instances, Figo Italian’s owners did not object since they said they were aiming for a 75%/25 or 70%/30% split anyway. “So we’re good to go with that,” said Figo attorney Mark Kozar, of Flaherty & O’Hara.
Food stipulation: Alcohol sales will not be permitted when food sales are not available.
Container size: Alcoholic beverages cannot be sold in containers that exceed 22 fluid ounces, meaning no beer pitchers, for example.
Background / Looking Ahead
Figo Italian’s proposal came six months after borough officials expressed concern over vacant storefronts downtown, especially among the high-rises, which boasted enough combined empty space at the time to nearly fill up a Walmart Supercenter (200,000 square feet).
But some borough leaders appeared to see the restaurant’s addition as a catch-22. Police Chief John Gardner expressed apprehension over an additional restaurant serving alcohol, noting it could put extra strain on police. And Councilman Peter Marshall summed up a lot of concerns Monday night.
“I think it’s worthwhile noting that there are 42 establishments selling alcoholic beverages, and 36 of them operate within five blocks of 330 W. College Ave.,” Marshall said, adding that one institute recommended reducing the density of such establishments. “It’s also worthwhile noting that 64% of our population is between 15 and 24 and, also, (police) calls to restaurants with liquor licenses are 16 times greater than other restaurants.”
Still, Council voted 6-0 to approve the liquor license transfer — with conditions — with one abstention.
Figo Italian expects to have a fast-casual pizza counter in State College, with 16-inch pies at its Philadelphia location ranging from $18 (Buffalo Chicken) to $26 (Lobster). In its application, Figo Italian also originally listed its anticipated hours as noon to midnight Monday-Thursday; noon to 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday and noon to 10/11 p.m. Sunday — but it’s unknown if that’ll change, due to the restriction that food must be served as long as alcohol is.
The restaurant’s parent company, GLU Hospitality, boasts at least eight venues around Philadelphia — including 1225 Raw, Anejo, Bagels & Co., Izakaya by Yanaga, Leda Cocktail Lounge, Omakase by Yanaga and Vesper Center City. Bagels & Co. is also expected to open a State College location at The Standard, although that opening date is also not yet known.
