A local restaurateur has requested a beer, wine and liquor license for the venue formerly named Santa Fe Café
When Cornerstone Grill and Loft owner Mark Srour walked down Knox Road several days ago, he noticed something different about the defunct building that housed Santa Fe Café: a small white piece of paper taped to the royal blue double doors.
The paper stated that another business owner is seeking a liquor and entertainment license in his old stomping grounds. Srour, who owned the beloved Santa Fe Café for more than 25 years, said the sight of the paper filled him with bittersweet memories of throngs of students jamming out to live cover bands while enjoying food and drink specials until the early morning.
Mohammad R. Afshar, a restaurateur, requested a beer, wine and liquor license for the building. He will appear in front of the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners on Feb. 28 to gain approval to thrust the building into the College Park nightlife scene once again, according to Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater.
While many students said they are hopeful the space will fill the live-music void Santa Fe Café left in the city when it shuttered in May 2010, several city officials said they had concerns. Srour closed Santa Fe Café after a county judge said that if he did not install a sprinkler system, he would be forced to permanently close his doors — the end to a seven-year back-and-forth with the city over adding the $90,000 system.
Because of the building’s history and glaring need for repairs, College Park District 1 Councilman Patrick Wojahn said the building needs to comply with safety regulations.
“My first and immediate concern is I’m not sure what they’ve done with the safety concerns in making sure there’s a sprinkler system,” he said. “I’d like to see [the College Park City Council] do something where they would have to do that before they opened.”
Although Afshar would not be permitted to open a new watering hole until tenants upgrade the space to city and county regulations, Wojahn said he would be in favor of a venue that brings “diversity to the nightlife in College Park.”
Additionally, Stiefvater said Afshar has experience catering to students. He previously owned now-defunct Saloun, a Washington bar located within walking distance of Georgetown University. The bar, which closed in October, featured live music seven nights a week and was “known as the best local spot to catch a beer and listen to some tunes,” according to its Facebook page.
“It kind of catered to the Georgetown students, so it looks like it’s going to do that [here],” Stiefvater said.
Srour, who was paying nearly $18,000 per month for the building, said it is difficult for such a large-sized building that is subject to the confines of university schedules and student whims.
“Santa Fe’s a money pit,” he said. “I think it’s a neat venue; I just don’t think it’s worth all the headaches. … It’s been proven over and over again that a good-sized place just can’t make it.”
Junior early childhood major Mandi Funk said she hopes the new plan comes to fruition.
“I just hope it’s amazing, because we need something like that here,” Funk said. “The Barking Dog’s cool, but it’s not like Fé.”
foley@umdbk.com
