Lake Worth-Bar manager Jessica Kasten holds Mojito's The Retreat's signature drink, the mojito. The Retreat at 129 N. Federal Highway is applying for a variance to be designated as a nightclub. ( Meghan McCarthy/The Palm Beach Post )
Mojito’s The Retreat is gaining a following as a late-night spot with live entertainment that serves 10 varieties of its namesake Cuban rum drink.
Owners of the bar at 129 N. Federal Highway applied for a nightclub license in January in hopes of gaining the right to stay open until 5 a.m., as two other Lake Worth nightclubs do.
Ed Muller, manager of the establishment owned by his family, says Mojito’s is grandfathered in as a late-night spot because the bar was licensed before 1947, when the city established ordinances governing bar hours.
City Planner Fedner Alcius has a different interpretation. Alcius says Mojito’s should close at 2 a.m. because there is no record of a 5 a.m. bar at that location after the bar licensing ordinance was enacted.
Muller and his attorney, Dennis Koehler, recently produced a letter from John Lang Sr. who said Lang’s Beer Garden, owned by his grandparents at the same location as Mojito’s, stayed open later than 2 a.m. during the 1940s and 1950s.
“If my memory serves me correctly, I did not close the bar at 2 a.m., typically keeping it open until well past 3 a.m. on weekends,” Lang wrote.
The Retreat at 129 N. Federal Highway is applying for a variance to be designated as a nightclub.
Muller’s application for a nightclub is scheduled to go before city commissioners on July 21.
Mojito’s lost its first battle June 3 when the city’s planning and zoning board voted 4-3 against a “proximity waiver” needed to license a bar for on-premises sale of beer or wine within 900 feet of a church, library, park or another business that sells alcohol. City planning staff, however, had recommended approval.
Ministers from area churches have written letters opposing nightclub status for Mojito’s.
“We have had to call the police many times because people have been found sleeping in our courtyard and in the entry to the church,” the Rev. Victor Blandford of First Presbyterian Church, the closest church to Mojito’s, wrote in a June 19 letter to City Manager Susan Stanton. “Allowing this establishment to become a nightclub would be detrimental to the neighborhood.”
In a June 3 letter to the planning and zoning board, the Rev. Joseph Papes of Sacred Heart Catholic Church said a woman recently drove her car through the fence of the church basketball court and was arrested for drunken driving.
“Those who may be attempting to return home after drinking all night may pose a risk to the safety of my faculty and perhaps the children who begin to arrive as early as 7:30 a.m.,” Papes wrote.
Muller said Mojito’s uses security cameras and bouncers and has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and other illegal activities. Muller said Mojito’s customers include the managers of downtown bars that close at 2 a.m. and noted that he plans to close Mojito’s at 4 a.m.
“At 3:30 I tell everybody to drink water,” Muller said.
Koehler, the attorney representing Mojito’s, said in a June 9 letter to Mayor Jeff Clemens and the commission that the Mojito’s nightclub decision should be supported by evidence delivered by experts, not the opinions of residents.
“You can’t just knee-jerk vote against something because a number of citizens oppose a certain project,” said Koehler, a former Palm Beach County commissioner.
North M Street resident Bud Greene worries that granting nightclub status to Mojito’s will lead other downtown bar owners to seek the right to stay open until 5 a.m.
“Someone rode through Lake Worth and made this statement: Lake Worth runs on alcohol,” Greene said. “It’s ungodly. My daughter wouldn’t live in Lake Worth if you gave her the entire city.”
as a known boozer and carouser, even I have to say that nothing good will happen with letting them stay open till 5 am. that being said, it’s not like you can’t find somewhere else, besides home, to go at that time.
We do NOT want bars open in the wee hours of the morning at all.
NOT in OUR neighborhood! What’s the reason for doing it? So that the idiots can get drunker and so that the owner can rake in a few more dollars? SHUT THE BARS DOWN – this isn’t the 40′s – we have an overload of drunken drugged up crime these days, especially in this very town that these IDIOTS want to ruin even more!
Susan Stanton, please stop this!!!
not true Mojitos is a upscale nightclub, mojitos is not your local bar it is a place for the beautiful people go, it is clean and well policed. Sorry but you can not blame Mojitos for Lake Worth problems, its also funny the the church that wrote bad things about mojitos is the same church that sent them a letter thanking them for their support
We live 1 block from Mojitos, it is a great pleace, please keep it open
In addition I know Mr Green, he is a mean old man that has been fighting growth and good things in the city for the last 5 years, maybe it was him sleeping in the street drunk
This is nothing fut a joke, Mojitos and the cottage are beautiful places, leave them be, they attract he good people, bug green is a mean old man that has been making trouble for 5 yers
LET MOJITOS STAY OPEN
I wish all the luck to Majitos. Unfortunately they’ll need a lot of it with Dennis Koehler as their attorney. He’ll deliberately complicate an issue just to jack up his fees.
Let Mojitos Stay Open Late. The world moves 24 hours a day and just because you want to sleep some people are just getting off work. There are MANY bars that stay open till 5am and some later from Palm Beach to Miami. Thats part of the charm of South Florida, 24 hours a day fun!
DRUNKS NEVER WANT TO GO HOME….SO YOU HAVE TO FORCE THEM GO HOME….SHUT IT DOWN BY 11PM……
Clarence get a life Mojitos serves beautiful people I was their the drunks are with you
If you stay open late or are against the Lake Worth Do-Gooders, they will send the Brown-Shirts after you.
VenesaInk, I can hear your crying over here, get a grip lady.
I do hope that you see this post I am writing and then look at your post and realize what a complete idiot you are.
sorry it is you that is stupid get a life and leave them alone
LMAO! This dummy calls me Vanesaink and somehow fron that derives that I am a female…..LOL! You’re as dumb as they are!
We love Lake Worth and don’t want bars open to serve drunks even MORE alcohol and then have them on our streets or driving drunk and killing us. Anyone that doesn’t agree with THAT…..IS an idiot.
get a life
Oh great, this place is just turning into NY one step at a time ,,you wanna see some REAL crime/drunks..just let some of these meth filled idiots get trashed till 5am and let them loose in the streets I’m a nurse and it’s job security…so let the bodies hit the floor……and when your kids are at the bus stops and these a-holes whoosh by.OR WHEN YOUR OUT FOR THE MORNING JOG…OH MAMA!!
So the news will have more stories of how some lady who is out for milk at a 7-11 got plowed over by a drunk..or a kid at the bus 6am was just destroyed by a First offense drunk and the next bar wants 5am rights, and thenext, and the next Se ya in the NEW NEW YORK!!!!!!
LET IT STAY OPEN LATER…
The economy is terrible, and good people need to make a living.
Jessica Kasten is a CLASS ACT, so you should have absolutely NO WORRIES.
People need to keep in mind that not all “drunks” work a traditional work shift. For people getting off of work after Midnight, this is a convenient place to drop in for a few drinks. Some of you folks need to learn about diversity.
Oh, okay, so using your “logic” (duh!) then since they are coming home from work in the middle of the night they should be able to sit outside with a boom box playing while they do some carpentry too.
What a stupid argument. Like half the neighborhood’s coming home from work at that hour. You’re an idiot and so are the others that are posting dumb crap in support of a place for people to get drunk at until 5 a.m.. But hey, don’t worry – plenty of people posting here don’t even know what the issue is that we’re dealing with here – all of those morons think that the place is in danger of being closed down. Imbeciles.
Allow the owners of the bar to keep it open till 4am. For all of you against this proposal, please keep in mind the current status of the economy – this will generate an extra 2-3 hours of work for those employed at the bar – some of whom need it to support their families. And a good point by 77Cobra – not everyone has a 9-5 job, allowing the bar stay open will not hurt anyone – any person can get drunk and drive, the bar is not the root cause, the decision makers are.
Bud Greene is a loser of an old man who has nothing better to do with his time then to pretend to be a politician. This guy is front and center at every Lake Worth Commision meeting and you can see the commsioners roll there eyes every time he talks. Its amazing that a crotchety old man who is gonna be dead in a few years is able to push his agenda like he is the town mayor.
Guess what Bud Greene, LW will be around long after you are gone and we hate your ideas!
Some of your replies are ridiculous – did you read the entire story or just not stop & think? For example… 5am close – if you read the story you’d realize they wants a 4am close & will serve water after 3:30am… How does that translate to people driving home after 5am or hitting kids on their way to school? Any kid on their way to school at 4 or 4:30 am is not going there for learning. As to drunk drivers & drunks sleeping at nearby places… I live off Lake Osborne, while I can’t say they are drunk I’ve sure see homeless people sleeping at the lake at night and I know someone directly on Lake Osborne Dr. that had a drunk hit their tree – and there are no night clubs or bars nearby. So does that make your area better or worse than mine? I have to agree about people having different work schedules. I get off work at 10pm & have coworkers leaving at 11pm. So what if I don’t want to go straight to a bar after work. I have pets at home, I can either go straight home to feed, water, walk and/or relax a for a bit or go someplace directly from work leaving my pets hungry, thirsty and/or needing to pee so I get to clean up a mess. What makes people that work a day shift superior to we who work evening and night shifts? What’s really the difference between someone who gets drunk at 11pm, 2am or 4am. Chances are they are all driving so the time doesn’t make it any worse – and for that matter the streets tend to be a lot quieter between 2-4am. Don’t get me wrong, anyone going out drinking needs to be willing to call a cab or go out with a friend that isn’t drinking instead of being an idiot that gets on the road drunk. Sounds like it’s just the “Not In My Neighborhood” thing where it’s fine as long as it’s not near me. This place sounds like an upscale place. Who’s to say the “drunks” found sleeping nearby were at Mojito’s instead of drunk from the beer & wine you can buy at any drug, grocery, or convenience store let alone the liquor stores that sell the real hard stuff. FYI… I don’t drink at all, but I have no problem with someone who wants to go to a late night bar. After all, some nights when I get home I don’t want to cook… Try finding a really good restaurant open at 11pm. You can find chains like Denny’s & IHOP and all the fast food places you want. Otherwise, it’s someplace that sells alcoholic drinks as well as food.
I only had three occifers Mr.Martooni.
A true drunk will drink at all times of the day no matter what.
Having a place stay open late is convenient for those who want to hang out with friends but work a job that keeps them out late and on the weekends beyond the business hours of most hang out places.
And if you say “I don’t want them in my neighborhood”; you should’ve reconsidered moving so close to a designated downtown area. After all that is the reason why you’re paying a premium for live in such a place.
You’re seriously messed up.
You sir are that mean old man Bud Green, get a life and leave Mojitos and the Cottage alone
In a nut shell Mojitos and the Cottage are clean upscale clubs that attract beautiful people not drunks, that have security, live music, it is a good down town that can bring back a dead city, the city should be kissing their butts and stop this BS. maybe all the bums are from all the vacant property in this city from all the business that have closed up
Here’s just a tiny example of the utter lack of intelligence exhibited by “Friends of Lake Worth”:
“maybe all the bums are from all the vacant property in this city from all the business that have closed up”
Need I say more?
Keep the place open all night, and the drunkards won’t be able to leave and subsequently injure themselves and others.
this is just a joke, this is a clean upscale club, the comments of mr green are untrue, vanishinglnk is a very nasty person that knows nothing, its a downtown that brings back a dead city. Mojitos is a beautiful place, that have done a great job turning around the 3 stores, we should honor them
Clearly you can always end a night of striking out by going to Mojitos and hitting on easy Sherry at 3:30 a.m..
Tell us, Sherry – judging by your comments – you’re a blonde, right?
I was robbed on craigslist by some jerkwad using a pager line. Jerkwad was shocked when I got her addy info and made a house call lol!
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VanishingInk and Mr. Greeen should really just move away , far away!
Ive been here, local to the dump, for 30 years, Barb. As a matter of fact, it just so happens that we see prostitutes hanging around that hell hole frequently. Not to mention the disheveled drunks and druggies that it attracts. And the panhandlers waiting for those entering and exiting the place.
Why don’t YOU move far away? My wife and I are at retirement age.
We’ve earned our say-so in this matter, and while I cannot say for sure, without proof, I’m willing to bet a $50 bill that you
1) Are young
2) You occasionally drink and then drive
3) You are single
4) You’ve had more than a couple of “partners” in the last 6 months.
5) You use illegal drugs at times
Yes, Barb, you can reply to this and say it ain’t so, but, as your elder and coming from someone wiser than yourself, I’m saying that it IS so. You just haven’t grown up yet.
Why is it always some crotchety old crank opposing progress? Maybe if these old relics would get off their rockers and go out for a few drinks themselves once in a while, they wouldn’t be such stuffy old grumps. But no, their idea of fun is to gripe about everyone else having fun, or trying to. Indeed, the residents are the last people that should be consulted about things like this, because they will always oppose it and not want it in “their” back yard. They’ll also be the first to complain about anything and everything they can think of, and the last to shut up about it. So why don’t they just confine them all to nursing homes and get them out of everyone else’s way? Then they wouldn’t be able to hinder everyone else, and the rest of us could move on without all their whining!
Listen, punk…Cowpie Panty or whatever you call yourself….the reason WHY is because we could kick your retarded little ass, sissyboy. You see, you just haven’t grown up yet, maggot. Your immature little pea-brain is still in that crazy little stage of “duhhhh, I know everything”…..when in reality you’re a stupid little shmuck.
Those of us that are mature and quite smarter than you will see to it that punks like you don’t infest our home area.
Understand, idiot? Probably not.
Nothing good happens after 2AM…Trust me been there done that and I am not a Crotchety Old Person. You want to slink around til 5 am there is always Frenchies.
I suggest that if you want to keep a bar open until 5:00 in the morning in Lake Worth you move to Miami, don’t try and start that open all night shit here. I am a profesional musician that can tell you for sure that most of the people left in a bar at 5:00 are coked out of there minds and are up to no good. I truly believe that with the open late clubs comes trouble.
Having a bar open until 2am is good enough. Leaving it open until 5am is only asking for trouble. Lake Worth is a family oriented community. You want to booze it up all night long..go to Miami!
it is a nice place but they blast their music with their door opne and we cannot sleep on the week end when they blast the music so loud here we live across the street they are and wish they music would shut off loud so no one here at the condo cannot sleeep with it blasting till very last in the night at 12pm till 4am. please make them stop blasting the music thanks.