Last week Glenview businessman Shishir Patel opened Lyon’s Beverage Depot at 135 South Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, replacing the Cardinal Wine & Sprits store at the location.
Shishir Patel is the new owner, but his establishment, Lyon’s Beverage Depot gained approval with a little controversy and a little extra scrutiny.
Patel was involved in a DUI crash in 2020, and entered a guilty plea. He completed court-ordered DUI classes, and was about halfway to completion serving a one year probation period in October 2021, when the Village Board of Arlington Heights voted 7-0 to award him two new liquor licenses — a Class B and Class T license.
A Class B license authorizes the sale of alcohol on the specified premises, and does not permit entertainment on the premises. A Class T license permits wine tasting of not more than one ounce, beer tasting of not more than two ounces, and the tasting of other alcoholic liquor of no more than one-quarter ounce. The holder of a Class B license can apply for a Class T license on the same premises where the Class B license is approved. There is no additional charge for the Class T license, but a Class B license coasts $3,700.
In Arlington Heights, a misdemeanor DUI charge or conviction does not necessarily disqualify a business owner from acquiring a liquor license.
In 2018, one of his two stores in Chicago was also the subject of a violation of Chicago’s liquor ordinances after an employee sold alcohol to a minor during an undercover Chicago Police Department sting.
The employee at the Chicago store was on his fourth day on the job when he illegally sold alcohol to a minor during the undercover operation. Patel fired the employee the next day, and paid a $1,000 fine to the City of Chicago.
The Cardinal Wine & Liquor store was recently closed, and the location was closed for remodeling during changeover to the new brand name, including new store signs displaying the Lyon’s Beverage Depot wording and logos.
The store location at 135 South Arlington Heights Road was a Teddy’s Liquors before Cardinal Wine & Spirits took over the space. At peak operations, there were five Teddy’s Liquors locations in the northwest suburbs, but in 2015 the only remaining Teddy’s Liquors store was located at 1050 East Rand Road in Arlington Heights. The Rand Road location closed a short time later in 2018, and is now home to a PetSuites of America.
Two Cardinal Wine & Spirits stores have come and gone in Arlington Heights or near Arlington Heights. There was once a Cardinal Wine & Spirits at 1312 North Rand Road Arlington Heights, which is actually an Arlington Heights mailing address located in Prospect Heights. The store location became Prospect Liquors, which is now vacant.