Vinnie’s Not Coming to Brentwood After Planning Commission Denial

On Tuesday, the Brentwood Planning Commission denied a Conditional Use Permit that would have allowed Vinnie’s Emporium to sell cocktails.

Staff was asking the planning commission to “deny” the request for a conditional use permit to change the ABC liquor license type for Vinnie’s Emporium from a restaurant selling beer and wine (Type 41) to a bar/nightclub (Type 48) located at 561 First Street. The commission agreed with staff and voted 5-0 against granting the CUP saying the applicant did not meet the standards of the downtown specific plan.

Per the applicants narrative:

Currently, Brentwood Emporium operates on an ABC 41 – beer and wine license. We would be looking to bring in an ABC-48, a full bar license, as we feel the current ABC 41 license has historically not worked for the location. We would still be operating the kitchen and offering casual dining every day. The reason we are seeking an ABC 48 over an ABC 47 is the kitchen is a good size but not big enough to sustain enough business to hit the 51% required food sales that come as a stipulation with an ABC 47 license. With the ABC 48 we will not allow minors on the premises and it will strictly be age 21 and over. 5/21/2026 In Concord, we employ 7-8 full-time employees and at least 13 part-time staff. I project I would have to hire a similar amount for the Brentwood operations given the size and operations are very similar.

The city received 253 comments prior to publication of the staff report with just 12 in opposition to the CUP. They received another 55 public comments after publication of the staff report with 5 in opposition. At the meeting, they had another 13 people speak in person/zoom.

As a result of the denial, Vinnie’s will not be coming to Brentwood the operator announced shortly after the decision.

Vincent Parker addressed the commission highlighting inaccuracies in the staff report.

“Most of the operations that were the Brentwood Emporium will be assumed by us, they already do live entertainment – on premise beer and wine sales. The only difference I am asking for is to be able to sell cocktails,” explained Parker. “That is a huge lynchpin in this business model. I am not asking for any changes to how late this can go. I am keeping it the sam 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm, no problem.”

He addressed security concerns, noting the Concord Police Department Lieutenant writing a letter on behalf of the business and lower-than-average calls for service.

“This will be expected in Brentwood because we are the same people, the same operators, we are the same family. We are not some corporate overlord, we are mom and pop,” said Parker. “You can come in, shake my hand, how are you doing.”

He also added that this is a downtown and his business proposal is exactly what zoning is for and what the city should want.

“You want entertainment, you want people to bring their tax dollars to downtown Brentwood,” said Parker. “You don’t want a big 16,000 sq ft building sitting empty on the corner of your downtown. That is not what anybody wants… the only issue I saw with Brentwood Emporium is it didn’t sell liquor; it was missing this huge piece of the puzzle that really could have brought it to where it needed to be.”

After public comments, mostly in support, the commission took up the CUP.

Commissioner Anita Roberts said the only thing they were addressing was a liquor license and had concerns about serving liquor to 600 people there would be issues. She also expressed concerns about parking.

“I think entertainment is great, but we are not the Concord Pavilion nor are we trying to be,” said Roberts noting if she was a resident who lived near the business she would absolutely have a problem with it. “How do you justify that kind of noise or movement of 600 people and know that is what off, based on what the gentleman communicated, that is a lot of people, I wouldn’t want that in my neighborhood under no circumstances.”

Roberts also questioned if they are already doing events, dancing why can’t it already be a success – why would serving hard liquor make it a success.

“I do believe the gentleman has had great success in Concord, but we are Brentwood. And there is a big difference,” said Roberts.

Commissioner Gerald Johnson admitted to being conflicted on the issue.

Commissioner Jeremy Jones also said he had gone back and forth on this application and understood why people were excited about the proposal but at the end of the day it was a land use issue. It was not about whether people would enjoy the business, but it was the Type 48 liquor license.

“Ater reviewing everything, I keep coming back to is the location. The property sits right at the edge of the downtown commercial district and is adjacent to homes. Its basically the entry point to a residential neighborhood,” said Jones noting the previous business operated as a Type 41 (primary is food with alcohol being secondary). “What we are looking at it, its very different of how this business could choose to operate.”

He further explained the question tonight was if they could make the findings for a Type 48 license at this specific location. He noted they are not selecting the Type 48 for this operator, but for the property as owners and operators can change—noting its not about today, but what it could be entitled to do in the future.

“I keep coming back to compatibility and location,” said Jones.

Vice chairperson Rod Flohr said he understood why people came to support Vinnie’s but suggested when Parker was solicited to come to Brentwood, he was not told a lot of things.

“I think there is a lot that happens here that is not top of mind for you,” said Flohr who proceeded to lecture Parker about what the planning commission is and what they do for Brentwood. “What I have is a deep and abiding respect for the Downtown Specific Plan and I bet most of you don’t even know what it is. The Downtown Specific Plan is a specific part of the General Plan.”

Flohr further explained the plan guides development, guides the growth and they must conform to the general plan, and it wasn’t optional. He said the specific plan showcases a vision for the downtown.

“There are multiple reasons why this should not be done at this location,” said Flohr. “The gist of it is that the downtown specific plan envisions a Downton that is family friendly. That is just the beginning and end of it. It is written own on paper, it is the law in this city.”

He continued noting that Brentwood Police said calls for service would likely escalate while the police department is dealing with vacancies while they should not be placing anything in the community that would add stress on the police department.

He also pushed back on the business needing to sell cocktails (Type 48) to make a music venue work and that everything was noise just trying to defend a position. He was unsure if it was true no business could survive at that location without serving cocktails.

“Maybe a music venue cannot survive without serving cocktails,” said Flohr. “I can tell you that Downtown Brentwood is full. The businesses, are pretty much all leased out. People are standing in line waiting to get a spot in Brentwood. We have a lot of foot traffic in Brentwood, years have gone into making it that way and if you want to be a part of this business community, then you need to conform to the standards of this business community. We are not going to welcome you in because we don’t have enough businesses, we have enough people waiting to come in. So, thank you, but we are fine.”

Flohr suggested the business go to another location in the city that would be more suitable for this type of business.

Chairperson Kristopher Brand noted the overwhelming public support with nearly 250 comments in support and 40 opposed. He shared the difference between the alcohol license types and why some are more accessible than others noting alcohol sales are the primary margin points for a business like this.

Brand, like other commissioners, pointed out the permit follows the land, not the operator. If the business changes hands, it would not go before a public hearing, it would just transfer to the new owner.

He then shared he visited Vinnie’s in the City of Concord and was “pleased” calling it similar to Brentwood Emporium. He went outside and near an apartment complex and did not hear any music.

“I can see that Vinnie runs a first-class establishment in Concord,” said Brand. “The rights given to him to operate that in Concord are different than the ones that are here. We are different cities; we are different entities. IN this case, we are looking to assess what the long-term use has been. It’s important to remember that it could change hands.”

Johnson again said he was “conflicted” but the downtown specific plan is specific and staff outlined the reasons for denial but wish they could have a business venue like this in Brentwood.

Roberts reiterated the Downtown Specific Plan and the Conditional Use Permit are in place for a reason.