Amid relocation, Peoria restaurant faces 'significant concerns' over liquor application

A local restaurant's application for a liquor license has raised "significant concerns" from the Peoria Police Department.

The Peoria City Council is slated to decide at its meeting Tuesday whether to grant Highly Flavored a liquor license in the former Creve Coeur Club location in the Twin Towers Mall in Downtown Peoria.

Peoria's liquor commission recommended approval of Highly Flavored's liquor application in a 3-0 vote earlier this month — with the stipulation that a plan of operation be put in place after hearing concerns from police.

Peoria Mayor Rita Ali told the Journal Star she will be voting in favor of granting a liquor license to Highly Flavored, saying she believes the restaurant will be a nice addition to downtown.

City Council member Chuck Grayeb, whose district includes downtown, said his mind is not made up yet. Grayeb told the Journal Star that he was seeking specifics from police about calls for service to the restaurant's previous location at Landmark Recreation Center.

Previous landlord speaks against restaurant

Highly Flavored, owned by Jeremy and Cierra Sargent, had operated at Landmark since October 2023. The restaurant's ownership told the Journal Star that they were "forced out" of the building in May.

Landmark general manager Jason Lanzotti said in a letter to the liquor commission that he felt it would be "negligent to award a track record like this with a liquor license at a new location." Lanzotti said that Highly Flavored brought safety concerns to the location that led to Landmark doubling security and played loud music. The letter also alleges that "payments were routinely late," leading to the eviction of Highly Flavored.

After Lanzotti's letter, the Highly Flavored owners on May 31 filed a cease-and-desist order against him, claiming he had made false and untruthful posts for defamatory purposes against their business.

'Forced out': Peoria restaurant says it was told to vacate Landmark Recreation Center spot

'Significant concerns' from police

Peoria police Chief Eric Echevarria told the liquor commission in a letter that his department had "significant concerns" with awarding a liquor license to Highly Flavored at the Twin Towers Mall.

Echevarria cited concerns with how the restaurant would be able to prevent patrons from accessing other parts of the mall late at night and about the number of calls police already respond to in downtown. Peoria police liquor investigator Rick Linthicum told the liquor commission that there were 119 calls for service to Landmark Recreation Center while Highly Flavored was there and those calls included shots fired, fights and weapons. However, the calls could not be directly tied to Highly Flavored because all the businesses inside of Landmark shared the same address.

Sargent told the liquor commission that the police calls to Landmark were not related to Highly Flavored. In one instance, he said, there was a shooting at the complex after the restaurant closed. He said he assisted police by showing them surveillance camera footage.

Jeremy Sargent also told the commission he would provide his own security inside the Twin Towers Mall and said the business planned to be open Tuesday through Saturday until 11 p.m. instead of 2 a.m. as originally requested.

Sargent said previously he had only operated restaurants until Highly Flavored's time at Landmark. He added that the bar nightclub concept at Landmark did not work for them, according to liquor commission minutes. He said they wanted to move forward as a restaurant, and that was one of the reasons they adjusted their hours of operation.

Multiple people spoke on behalf of Highly Flavored to the liquor commission. Patrick Wilmington spoke positively about his experiences at the restaurant. He mentioned an occasion when he dined there and left only to learn about a major police presence outside. He said the patrons at Highly Flavored had no idea what was happening outside.

When reached by the Journal Star for this story, Landmark had no further comment. Highly Flavored owners Jeremy and Cierra Sargent did not return Journal Star phone calls, and neither did their attorney.

The liquor commission's approval is contingent on a plan of operation. Highly Flavored's 11 p.m. closing time is still later than its lease-restricted 8 p.m. closing time, which leaves an 8 p.m. closing time a possibility for the restaurant.

Highly Flavored has plans to open its new location this summer.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria restaurant faces 'significant concerns' over liquor license