Bits & Bites: Baltimore bars hit by ‘cease and desist’ notices, Midwest fried chicken chains land

Visitors to Ministry of Brewing were greeted on the evening of May 15 by locked doors and a “cease and desist” sign from Baltimore’s liquor board.

The Upper Fells Point spot had run afoul of the city’s annual liquor license renewal deadline — and it’s not alone. Since the start of May, dozens of businesses have found themselves papered with the signs, which feature a slightly alarming bright red, boldface font.

If one of your favorite Baltimore bars or restaurants was among the temporarily shuttered, there’s usually no need to worry. It’s likely they’ll be open again within a matter of days — and sometimes, within hours.

I’ve been writing lately about a lot of local rites of spring. Here’s another one: the annual liquor license renewal process and the “cease and desist” closures that always seem to follow.

To understand why Ministry of Brewing was closed on a “random Wednesday” — and open again the next day — it’s helpful to understand what’s happening behind the scenes.

I have an explainer in today’s column, which also has details on two new fried chicken chains landing in Baltimore.

‘I assure you, we’re open!’

The reason liquor licenses are suspended is often a simple one: a license was renewed, but it hasn’t been paid for or picked up.

That’s what happened to Ministry of Brewing, which renewed its license on time but hadn’t yet retrieved it when the liquor board shut down the brewery for an evening. Renewal applications were due by March 31 this year and businesses were required to have their new licenses on display by May 1.

General manager Jon Holley said he’s used to Ministry’s license being hand-delivered. During the early pandemic years, the board would deliver the licenses while its offices were closed to the public, but that practice stopped in 2023.

Ministry of Brewing was already open when an inspector dropped off the cease and desist notice, so Holley and his staff had to ask about two dozen groups of customers to leave. An event scheduled for that night was also canceled.

The brewery was able to reopen the next day after picking up its license, but Holley said he’s still getting calls asking whether the taproom is indeed back in business. Ministry of Brewing put up a sign to clear up any confusion: “I ASSURE YOU, WE’RE OPEN!” it reads in all caps, with several underlines for emphasis.

Holley said he wishes there had been more “leniency and understanding” from the board through the predicament, but noted there’s been a silver lining, too, in the form of a swell of community support. A social media post about the temporary closure was one of the business’s most liked to date.

“Luckily, the support since then has been fantastic,” he said. “We just had a busy weekend, and lots of people were talking about it.”

Though suspensions happen every year, the renewal process still works smoothly for the majority of licensees. There are about 1,150 licenses in the city and as of Monday, about 50 renewed licenses were still waiting to be picked up, according to the liquor board.

Some of them need a tax lien to be cleared before they can be released — another common reason a license may be suspended. Businesses that are unable to pay in full right away can work out a tax payment plan with the comptroller.

In Ron Legler’s case, there was a labyrinth of bureaucracy to navigate before his license could be renewed.

Legler, the new owner of Walt’s Inn, thought he had his ducks in a row when he transferred the long-running Canton karaoke bar’s license into his name in February. But when the bar was shut down on May 1, Legler discovered he needed to go through a new round of inspections — mechanical, electrical, fire, plumbing, health — as part of the transfer process.

Legler, who also serves as the president of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, wishes he had had a checklist laying out all the necessary steps.

“You get one [inspection] done, and then they tell you you need another one,” he said. “I felt very alone and it was embarrassing for me as a person who tries to run a really tight ship and be a good business person, be in compliance.”

The bar’s closure for more than three weeks put longtime bartenders out of work and canceled events, including a wedding after-party. As of early this week, Legler was hopeful Walt’s could finally reopen on Wednesday.

“I got a really powerful life lesson,” he said of the experience. He’s thinking about putting together a guidebook for other new small business owners and plans to reach out to his councilman to suggest assembling a small-business task force.

“This is a blip, and hopefully we’re through it,” he said. “We just want to be a corner bar that’s open.”

Cluck cluck, dontcha know

It seems the next phase of Baltimore’s fried chicken boom will feature Midwestern chicken chains.

In recent years, the area has seen an influx of chicken chains, from Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s to Dave’s Hot Chicken, a California-based chain with backing from rapper Drake.

This month, Wisconsin-based Mad Chicken opened at 21 S. Calvert St. in Downtown Baltimore. The chain, which sells chicken sandwiches, wings, tenders, salads and bowls, opened its first Maryland restaurant in Towson last summer, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.

Next up: CHX.

The chain, which originated in Minnesota, plans to open a new restaurant at McHenry Row in Locust Point this summer. CHX (pronounced “chicks”) will have chicken tender combos — paired with a buttermilk biscuit, Cajun vinaigrette slaw and crinkle-cut fries — as well as chicken sandwiches. The store will also serve cocktails and beer.