New Business: My Three Sons Hot Dogs and Beer Emporium

A new business is planning on coming to West State Street, with an anticipated grand opening on October 7th, 2012. My Three Sons Hot Dogs and Beer Emporium  appeared before the Community Design Committee of Media Borough on August 28th to discuss plans and ensure the business opening will go without a hitch.

Owner Steven Gariffo, who plans on offering gourmet hot dogs and high-end drink-in and take-out beer sales in the former location of Four Paws pet food store which closed recently. He plans on putting umbrellas and picnic tables in the space currently occupied by bushes in front of the building to attract customers to the west end of state street, and to provide a casual outdoor dining experience during the warm months of the year.

Mr. Gariffo’s menu includes gourmet hot-dogs which will be paired with seasonal micro-brew beers. A sampling from his planned menu:

• Madone: The trouble with eating my bride’s Italian cooking is that 5 or 6 days later I’m hungry again: baby spinach sautéed with garlic and white wine; gently topped with extra sharp provolone.
• Toddling Town: “Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town …” – gotta LOVE Sinatra; I sure do: zigzagged yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, chopped white onions, a dill pickle spear, two tomato wedges, topped with two pickled sport peppers, and to finish it off … a dash of celery salt.

Currently, the store has a few hurdles to overcome prior to opening:

• Approval of the transfer of a liquor license to sell beer on site by Borough Council
• Approval of any signage
• Issuance of an occupancy permit prior to opening

There were a few issues raised at the Community Design Committee presentation by the owner, but the general sense was supportive of the new business. Issues raised were:

• Requirement to recycle bottles (in particular) for the new location
• Stress that the front of the building must be litter-free, and a request for dedicated cigarette receptacles outside.

The litter and recycling requirements are a project which is currently being addressed by the Community Design Committee, and specifically spearheaded by Dr. Eric Stein. The goal is to make the streets of Media more attractive on the weekends when street cleaning and the street sweeper are not used.

Existing and new businesses are informed that Borough Council will not be tolerant of litter-strewn sidewalks on the weekends, and enforcement has been stepped up recently in issuing letters of violation to businesses. This is in conjunction of additional enforcement of cleanup of the back-alleys of state street, specifically Jasper Street and Baker Street, where letters of violation for messy dumpsters and litter are being issued more frequently. Finally, Media Borough Council is working to increase enforcement of recycling by all businesses and landlords in Media, which is a requirement by law.

Overall, Mr. Gariffo was extremely receptive to all requests made by the Community Design Committee, and was invited to the Media Borough Workshop on September 6th at 7:00 PM to discuss with all of council.

In order to approve the liquor license transfer for the new business, Borough Council must hold a public hearing, in which members of the public are requested to come and express their support or objections to the transfer of a new liquor license. Public hearings for this type of legislation typically precede the monthly legislative session of Borough Council, which occurs on the third Thursday of the month. This month’s legislative session is scheduled for September 20th. Depending on the sense of council in the workshop, a public hearing may be scheduled for later this month.