Wick’s Pizza opening in New Albany pushed back to fall

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July 29, 2009

Pizzeria and pub accepting management applications for New Albany location

By DANIEL SUDDEATH The News and Tribune Wed Jul 29, 2009, 01:48 PM EDT

The owner of Wick’s Pizza Inc. said it will likely be the end of September when the Louisville-based restaurant chain opens its New Albany location.

Getting a state liquor license has been the holdup, according to owner Michael Wickliffe, as he originally eyed a late summer opening date for a New Albany Wick’s.

The restaurant will fill the former Speakeasy bar and jazz club building at 225 State St. Located within a historic district, Wick’s is eligible for alcohol permits designated for the riverfront area, of which there are only a certain number allotted for New Albany.

The Speakeasy’s permit was voided after it closed. The permits cost $1,000 plus an annual renewal fee.

Mayor Doug England said administration helps restaurants seeking permits by petitioning the state on behalf of the establishment.

“What we’re trying to do is spur the economy,” England said, adding that when New Albany’s permits run out, he plans on asking the state for more than what was originally portioned, similar to Clarksville.

“Competition is good. We want to have five places where you can walk from one to the other,” he said.

Application review can take several weeks, as Wick’s is experiencing. The establishment must be inspected and a lengthy background check is administered before a permit is sold, regardless of a city’s recommendation.

Wickliffe said the process is longer than what he’s used to in Kentucky, but added there are some elements of Indiana’s law that he prefers. Servers are held to higher standards by having to apply and pay for a state application before they can work in Indiana.

The stiffer rules can help keep businesses away from violations such as serving to minors, Wickliffe said.

“I like the idea that [servers] are held responsible,” he said.

One of the biggest fall festivals in Southern Indiana is the reason Wickliffe is adamant about having the restaurant running before early October.

“We hope to be open by Harvest Homecoming,” he said. This year’s festival, which is based in downtown New Albany, is slated for Oct. 3-11.

Wickliffe said the site will be refurbished before it opens, but added he doesn’t want to give away the design before its premiere.

Wickliffe did release a few details. Flat-screen TVs will cover the walls for sports viewing and the front bar will be rebuilt, he said.

Wick’s will open at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at noon Sunday. The restaurant and bar will close nightly at 2 a.m., unless business is slow, Wickliffe said.

It was only Wickliffe’s third jaunt to New Albany when he decided to buy the former Speakeasy building, he said. The historic architecture of downtown is one reason Wickliffe said he selected the location.

“I think New Albany is moving in the right direction. I love it. It’s a beautiful downtown,” he said.

Wickliffe credited revitalization efforts and last year’s opening of the Floyd County branch of the YMCA of Southern Indiana in New Albany’s downtown as other factors in determining where to spot the next Wick’s.

It’s the fifth location for Wick’s and the first in Southern Indiana.

“I’m looking very forward to working with the people in downtown. We’ve got people coming over all the time — just really nice people — they really want you to come into town,” Wickliffe said.

SO YOU KNOW

• The New Albany location will give Wick’s five spots in the area and its first in Southern Indiana. The other four restaurants are located in Louisville — Baxter Avenue, Dixie, Goose Creek and Middletown. Wick’s began in 1991.

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