Bellmoor Inn granted permit for alcohol service
Story Location:
The Bellmoor Inn
6 Christian Street
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States
After assurances by hotel representatives that alcohol served on the outdoor patio would be for guests, Rehoboth Beach commissioners unanimously approved a permit of compliance for the Bellmoor Inn.
During a public hearing June 19, Bellmoor Inn General Manager Ben Gray said in his four years with the hotel, the No. 1 request from guests is an expanded food and beverage option. He said the expanded service – breakfast, lunch and dinner – will be an amenity for the hotel’s guests.
This is not something where there will be sandwich boards on the street calling people in, said Gray.
The hotel’s history in the city spans more than 80 years. Under the name Dinner Bell Inn, it was opened by Ruth Emmert in 1937. Bob and Dee Moore purchased the Christian Street property in 1999, officially renaming it The Bellmoor Inn and Spa in 2003. More recently, in March, the Moores sold the hotel to EOS Investors LLC, a privately held real estate investment firm based in New York City.
The hotel property has two different zoning districts – C1 and C3 commercial – and borders an R1 residential district. As approved, the permit has a condition that all deliveries take place on Christian Street, which is the commercially zoned portion of the property.
Gray said he didn’t expect too much of an increase in deliveries, because delivery trucks were already coming to the hotel.
The hotel had originally applied for outdoor speakers with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commissioner, but that request has been withdrawn. Gray said there are no plans for having acoustic music. Wilmington-based attorney John Tracey, representing The Bellmoor Inn, said the hotel was still going through the application process with the state, and that it would be at least September by the time final approval was given.
Following the hearing on the Bellmoor Inn, commissioners also granted a permit of compliance to serve alcohol for Breakfast Guru, 19 Wilmington Ave. The property is located in the C1 commercial district. The restaurant is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week.
During the public hearing, owner Dennis Kangayi said roughly 10 percent of his customers are looking to be served alcohol. The restaurant opened last year.
