Arlington Heights karaoke bar gets liquor license back
An Arlington Heights karaoke bar and restaurant is getting back its liquor license nearly five years after losing it over questions related to the business's ties to a convicted prostitute.
The Music Box, in a shopping center at 224 E. Golf Road, will get back its Class A liquor license in the next two weeks after a unanimous vote by the village board Tuesday.
The establishment's license was not renewed in May 2012 after violations stemming from incorrect paperwork and improperly obscured windows in the karaoke room. Former owner Myeong Lim also had been arrested on two separate charges of prostitution while working as a masseuse in Buffalo Grove in 2010 and 2011, police said.
Current owner Song Han, Lim's stepsister, applied for licenses in July 2012 and July 2013 and was denied by the board both times.
But board members said they were willing to give Han a second chance this time since she passed a background check and there have been no reports of criminal activity at the business in the last 3½ years or issues found by the building and health departments.
"I personally believe forgiveness is a hallmark of a civilized society," Trustee Thomas Glasgow said during a meeting during which Han was questioned. "I feel you've paid your penance."
Speaking on behalf of Han, niece Connie Yu told trustees Han is the 100 percent owner of the business - a change from 2012 when the liquor license was revoked and Lim still was involved in ownership. At the time, the business was known as Ding Dong Dang.
"My half-aunt doesn't even live near Chicago anymore," Yu told trustees. "She was a huge embarrassment to our family. She was the butt of Jay Leno's jokes for a while. She's not involved in the business anywhere. The last time I saw her was years ago. She's not a person associated with our family anymore."
In a letter to the village, Han asked for the liquor license in an effort to keep her struggling business afloat. Despite operating as a bring-your-own-alcohol establishment, the restaurant has seen sales dip 40 percent over the last four years, Han said, forcing her to max out credit cards and ask for loans from family. Without the license, she said, the business would be on the brink of closure.
Mayor Tom Hayes, the local liquor control commissioner, questioned whether the 6,000-square-foot restaurant would have enough employees to run smoothly - only one employee works during the week - but Yu said the rest of the family is willing to help out and the plan is to add to the staff.
The business will be subject to periodic inspections by police.
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