Liquor license approved but with shorter hours

By Sophia Fischersfischer@theacorn.com

The P6 restaurant on Agoura Road The P6 restaurant and lounge in Westlake Village can have a permanent license to serve alcohol, but only under certain conditions. The state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agreed with an administrative law judge’s ruling last week.

The ruling means the restaurant can serve alcohol only between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. and midnight on weekends, limiting how late customers can purchase drinks.

The maximum legal hours are 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

“The decision kind of shocked us,” said P6 co-owner Jerry Rubacky. “Obviously this decision has severe financial impact on us.”

Located on Agoura Road, the restaurant is adjacent to homes in the Stoneybrook development. Shortly after P6 opened a year ago with a temporary license, residents began complaining of latenight noise. Some claimed that P6 was nothing more than a nightclub. Rubacky strongly disagrees. He described P6 as a fine dining restaurant that serves about 2,600 meals a week to an upscale crowd between the ages of 25 and 65.

“The perception that has been created that we are in any way, shape or form a nightclub is absolutely wrong,” Rubacky said.

P6 owners responded to residents’ concerns by adding tempered glass walls and landscaping to the restaurant’s outdoor patio; hanging a chain across a portion of the back entrance to discourage customers from using the alleyway between homes and the restaurant; and hiring security guards to patrol the parking lot every 30 minutes to encourage customers not to linger. But residents still complained of ongoing noise, calling cops and writing letters to the city.

“When you put a large business that intends to operate late at night in an area that is mixed residential and commercial, folks are going to protest,” said Chris Albrecht, district administrator in the ABC Santa Barbara district office, which serves Ventura County.

Wanting to respond to both residents as well as the restaurant owners, Albrecht said he feels the judge “came down in the middle” by recommending approval of the license with restrictions.

Unless there’s an appeal by the owners or by residents, the ruling goes into effect on Aug. 8. P6 owners are considering their options, according to Rubacky. In the meantime, Rubacky plans to have a meeting with residents of adjacent neighborhoods next week.

“We will listen to them and convey what we’re doing,” Rubacky said. “We’re trying to do the right thing by the local community.”