Until the end of the month any plans you had of enjoying a margarita or any other adult beverage with your meal at El Rodeo in Benton Township will be on hold thanks to a license suspension currently underway there.
A two week suspension is currently in place as part of a resolution stemming from tax evasion charges against two of the corporate stockholders of the popular Mexican restaurant across from WalMart at 1367 Mall Drive in Benton Township.
Jose Melendez and Francisco Salgado are both stockholders and licensees of El Rodeo #8, and both were convicted of 10 counts each of theft in Indiana for “failure to collect or remit retail or use taxes” to the state of Indiana — essentially tax evasion according to the Liquor Control Commission. The case goes back to the spring of 2015, but through multiple hearings and proceedings, the license suspension is just now being undertaken.
The license was suspended on August 18th and will remain suspended through the end of the month, August 31st. The establishment will be allowed to resume liquor sales on September 1, 2017 when the suspension has been fulfilled.
The penalty does not impact food sales at the restaurant which have been and will continue to be available at all hours that the restaurant is open for business, just no alcohol may be sold or consumed on the premises while the license is on ice.
A large orange poster placed on the front door says, “The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has suspended the license of this establishment for 14 days for stockholder found guilty of a crime.” That’s the verbatim poster portions of which are standard, pre-printed verbage and portions of which have been penned in. Another hand crafted poster in the vestibule says essentially the same thing in both English and Spanish, and smaller signs are posted inside the restaurant.
According to MLCC records, El Rodeo purchased more than $40,300 in alcohol from the state throughout the course of 2016, and had already spent another $22,365.00 so far this year. The suspension will end in 9 days.
