Forget world peace. You might want to toast Michael Cho the next time you’re having a glass of Grand Vin de Leoville at Antonello Ristorante or a Geisha Kiss martini at Bluefin.
Cho has made a name for himself as Orange County’s liquor lawyer. The Newport Beach attorney’s niche is getting licenses for restaurants and hotels. He also gets them for liquor stores and supermarkets.
Clients include Antonello across from South Coast Plaza, Newport Beach’s Bluefin, Santa Ana-based Wahoo’s Fish Taco, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point and the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
He’s even getting a license for a cafe at American Rag’s upcoming Fashion Island store.
For Cho, his work is an extension of his love of dining. He’s a foodie. Cho’s four-year-old daughter refers to many of the county’s best chefs as “uncle.”
“I’m not just an attorney,” said Cho, who works for Newport Beach’s Bernard & Associates.
For chefs who want to try out an item, Cho’s a ready taste tester. He helps with menu prices. He’s found sponsors for events such as the Creans’ Clambake, a charity for kids put on by Donna and John Crean.
Cho organizes charity events himself, such as the annual Great Chefs of Orange County, a benefit for the National Kidney Foundation.
He also offers advice on how to keep bugs out of Grand Marnier bottles.
His day job is a little more straightforward.
Restaurants, liquor stores and others have to get not only a state liquor license but one from their city too.
And it’s a sensitive issue for some cities. Newport Beach is a difficult place to get a license, according to Cho. Santa Ana is hard too, he said.
Irvine, known for its meticulous regulations, is one of the easier cities to get a license, Cho said.
Sometimes a city can flat out say “no.”
More often, cities slap restrictions on a license, regulating hours, limiting the kinds of alcohol sold, or barring entertainment and dancing. Cities even can set the ratio of alcohol to food sales.
“Typically, you’ll have a pretty good feeling of what you’ll be able to get approved,” Cho said.
If a city seems tentative, Cho said he’ll try to hold off for a month to address the concerns.
Time Saver
Most business owners just apply for a license themselves.
“But when you’re building out a restaurant, it’s more worthwhile, timewise, to hire someone,” Cho said.
It’s kind of like having your taxes done, he said.
“My wife is a CPA,” he said. “We hire an accountant to do our taxes.”
Cho charges about $3,700 to get a license.
Businesses that do it alone can get tripped up by not providing all the supporting documents upfront, Cho said. That delays the process.
California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control requires a 30-day notice to be posted at the place of business to make the public aware of the owner’s plan to serve booze. A legal ad also has to run in a newspaper.
The investigation period before a license is granted takes 45 to 50 days, according to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Each owner with a stake of 10% or more has to undergo a background check, Cho said. They have to provide personal details and employment history. A crime conviction is a deal breaker.
“I ensure it gets done right the first time,” Cho said. “I can push it through faster.”
His clients rave.
“He’s a man of substance,” said Oliver Badgio, director of quality management for Mastro’s, which has four restaurants in California, including two in OC. “What he says you can count on.”
Mastro’s, which came across Cho by word of mouth, tried to do its own licensing at first.
“It’s very time consuming,” Badgio said. “We couldn’t do it with effectiveness.”
Hiring Cho stamps the restaurant as reputable, according to Badgio.
Cho said he’s selective about who he represents.
“I have to vouch for the quality of the restaurant,” he said.
Licensing regulations get tougher all the time, Cho said.
After the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the state revamped licensing rules, making it harder for liquor stores to get a permit, he said.
Alcohol is the next tobacco, Cho contends, suggesting the industry could see lawsuits and more regulation.
Cho didn’t start out to be a liquor lawyer.
After graduating from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1989, he set out to strike it rich in real estate development and retire at 35. Then the real estate market crashed.
“I was twiddling my thumbs,” he said.
Cho said he started doing legal work for family and friends who were involved in real estate.
“It was almost like an apprentice thing, but I was getting paid very well,” he said.
He said he tried a bit of bankruptcy work, representing creditors.
“It’s relatively easy work,” he said.
But Cho said he didn’t like the way the court system worked.
‘How Hard Could That Be?’
Then a building owner in San Diego came to Cho and asked if he could help in getting a beer and wine license.
“I said, ‘Sure. How hard could that be?'”
It turned out to be harder than Cho thought. His business took off from there. That was 15 years ago.
“It’s a law practice that I enjoy,” he said.
Cho’s favorite part of the job is working with chefs.
“I’ve always been a foodie,” he said.
Going to tastings is one of his favorite pastimes. And, yes, Cho drinks.
“I enjoy a great glass of wine,” he said. “I enjoy my cocktail.”
