“Woody’s has been in business in East Lansing for a very long time … in my opinion, granting them the special use permit (for a liquor license) seems (like) a reasonable thing to do,” City Councilmember Kevin Beard said.

Beard said although the special use permit was approved, Woody’s Oasis owner Chuck Raad still has to receive approval by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, or MLCC, to get a license. Beard said there is no available license in East Lansing, and businesses typically obtain a license by purchasing one in a separate community and bringing it into their own community, with approval of the MLCC.

The more than 25-year-old business has one location in Lansing and three in East Lansing, including the Trowbridge location, a Grand River Avenue location and a location in MSU’s International Center food court.

“We’ve got customers asking for wine or beer with their meals,” Raad said. “I wouldn’t have been pursuing it (otherwise).”

Raad said he has been in the process of trying to receive a special use permit for about three months and does not know when Woody’s Oasis will be able to serve alcohol. A bar will not be added to the restaurant, and alcoholic beverages will be limited to beer and wine primarily, served with the meal, he said.

Kinesiology senior Justin Collins said he wasn’t sure he would visit the Trowbridge location because it wasn’t as convenient for his daily routine as the Grand River location.

“It wouldn’t be someplace I would go to like (I would) a bar, like Rick’s,” he said. “(But) it’d probably help their business. Maybe a different crowd would go there.”

Local business Stateside Deli also is pursuing a liquor license “to increase business” and “make the business better,” according to owner Spencer Soka, and a public hearing with the city council and Soka will take place this week.

But for Raad, he is one step closer to pleasing his customers more.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Raad said. “I’ll be excited when everything’s done.”