MADISON, Wis. -- The owners of the Taco Bell Cantina on State Street are suing the city of Madison for arbitrarily denying the restaurant a liquor license.
Our sister station WISC-TV reports that Flynn Restaurant Group, the owners, filed the lawsuit on Friday stating Mayor Paul Soglin's denial of the license contradicts his actions. The group also owns Applebee's, Panera and other Taco Bell restaurants.
Chairman and CEO of Flynn Restaurant Group Greg Flynn said the Soglin's concerns about late-night, alcohol-related violence in the area do not stand because a liquor license was given to a restaurant across the street from Taco Bell three weeks after Flynn's request was denied.
Flynn claims that in the request, the restaurant group offered to comply with restrictions and standards, including restrictions on when alcohol is sold and limiting alcohol sales to beer and wine according to WISC-TV.
The mayor said in a statement, "I see little public value in issuing a liquor license to Taco Bell and enormous costs to the residents of Madison and in our city government."
Flynn believes Soglin denied the liquor license because of his bias against Flynn Restaurant Group.
