The lingering debt of a former restaurant in Old City Hall will
no longer delay the opening of a new Mexican restaurant in the
historic building, according to a local restaurateur who took over
the lease in spring.
Gilroy – The lingering debt of a former restaurant in Old City Hall will no longer delay the opening of a new Mexican restaurant in the historic building, according to a local restaurateur who took over the lease in spring.
Jim Angelopoulos hoped to open Chips N’ Salsa, a tropical-themed restaurant and banquet venue, by June, but those plans stalled as he awaited the transfer of a liquor license from Glen Gurries, the last person to lease the building at the corner of Sixth and Monterey streets.
Gurries, who could not be reached for comment, left hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt when his upper-scale Old City Hall Restaurant closed in December 2004, according to Angelopoulos. Despite taking over the lease in April, Angelopoulos said the previous liquor license is still tied up in escrow while creditors seek repayment.
Instead of waiting, he has applied for a new liquor license. He said state officials have already signed off on the permit application and he is now waiting for city staff to grant approval.
“Either I wait and wait and wait, or I take it into my own hands and open. And that’s what I’m doing,” Angelopoulos explained.
He plans to begin hiring 30 to 35 employees in coming weeks in anticipation of an early November opening.
And while he waits for the legal issues to fall into place, he is putting the finishing touches on the decor and props needed to deck out Chips N’ Salsa. His checklist includes a salsa bar made out of an old Volkswagen, and pretty much “everything from beach balls to kayaks.”
Angelopoulos’ other restaurants have a successful track record. Scramble’z in Morgan Hill, which has a retro diner theme aimed at kids and families, opened last summer and pulls in 4,000 customers a week. Prior to opening Scramble’z the Angelopoulos family operated the City Diner in San Jose for 25 years.
