Toluca Lake Neighbors Opposed : Restaurateur to Get His Liquor License

After 18 months of legal maneuverings, a Toluca Lake restaurateur has won the right to serve alcoholic beverages at his upscale restaurant.

Val Messmer, owner of Val’s Restaurant at 10130 Riverside Drive, received word from the state this week that he will be granted a license to serve alcohol--despite objections from neighbors who say drinkers will disrupt their neighborhood.

Messmer said Wednesday that the license is vital to the success of his $2-million restaurant, which opened in November. Messmer said many potential customers have canceled reservations after learning they could not order wine, beer or liquor.

Favorable Decision Upheld

Messmer received a letter from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Monday confirming that, on March 15, a department appeals board upheld an administrative law judge’s decision to grant the restaurant a license to serve alcohol.

But Messmer is not preparing to uncork wine bottles just yet. Residents have fought the restaurant for 18 months, he said, and he has learned to expect setbacks.

The residents’ attorney, Ralph B. Saltsman, said his clients have not decided whether to appeal the decision.

The battle started shortly after Messmer applied on Sept. 18, 1986, for a license to serve alcohol. Residents near the restaurant, as well as the North Hollywood Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, protested the application, said John Thompson, assistant director for the ABC in Southern California.

The residents said a liquor license would draw more customers to the restaurant, increase traffic on their quiet streets and possibly expose children to drunk drivers. Police had similar concerns, Thompson said.

In response to the protests, the ABC rejected the license application June 4. The restaurant appealed and, to satisfy police concerns, agreed to limit the hours it would sell alcohol. The Police Department withdrew its protest Sept. 18 and, a month later, the administrative law judge recommended granting the restaurant a license. The ruling by the ABC appeals board this month came after an appeal by the residents.

Messmer said he has agreed to serve liquor only from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. He said he also agreed to provide free valet parking to discourage customers from parking on neighborhood streets.