Polizos v. Oregon Liquor Control Commission

588 P.2d 681, 37 Or. App. 757, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2370
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedDecember 26, 1978
DocketCA 10538
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 588 P.2d 681 (Polizos v. Oregon Liquor Control Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Polizos v. Oregon Liquor Control Commission, 588 P.2d 681, 37 Or. App. 757, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2370 (Or. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

TANZER, J.

Petitioners appeal a denial by the OLCC of their application for a Class A distributor’s license, contending that the order is deficient because the findings of fact are not supported by substantial evidence and the conclusions of law are unsupported by statute, rule or reason.

The Findings

The Commission made these findings of fact:

"1. The Polizos brothers are applying for a Class 'A’ dispenser license (DA) in the trade name 'Acropolis Club’. Applicants own two other outlets with the same trade name with a Commission license to serve beer and wine.
"2. Applicants claim they will specialize in Greek cuisine. However, it is clear that they will primarily serve typical restaurant fare with an extremely limited Greek menu, the ingredients of which will be purchased totally on a commercial basis. The Greek food will, in effect, be 'pseudo’, i.e., in name only.
"3. The design and decor of the present and proposed premises bar, lounge and restaurant are designed more to emphasize entertainment and the sale of liquor and not of a specialty Greek restaurant intended to serve metropolitan Portland and emphasizing and oriented to fine Greek dining.
"4. At the time of this hearing, the Commission had a reserve of only eighteen (18) licenses to serve the whole State of Oregon with approximately 79 applications pending for said 18 licenses.
"5. It is not in the public interest to grant a DA license to applicants for the primary purpose of providing entertainment and increasing liquor sales, and who serve an extremely limited specialty menu which will not create a public demand within nor serve the residents of the Portland metropolitan area.
"6. It is in the public interest to reserve the limited number of licenses available for outlets which desire to serve a larger segment of the family dining public than does applicant.”

[760]*760It also made this ultimate finding of fact:

"It is not in the public interest to license an applicant who will not, as claimed, specialize in Greek food, but routine restaurant fare with a few Greek food items, and will be oriented toward selling liquor rather than family dining.”

Finding No. 1 is not challenged.

Finding No. 2 is supported at least by the petitioners’ menu. It begins with one Greek and one or two non-ethnic appetizers, soups and salads. There follows an ordinary array of non-Greek beverages. The four entrees are souvlakia (as a changing daily offering), spaghetti with Greek style meat sauce, T-bone steak and fried shrimp. Four sandwiches are listed: ham and cheese, salami, pastrami, and hamburger with fries. Dessert offerings are baklava or ice cream. Finding No. 2 is overstated in that there is no evidence that the purported Greek food will not be Greek food and the adverb "extremely” is excessive. Nevertheless, the menu is substantial evidence that petitioners will serve typical restaurant fare with limited rather than predominant Greek fare. Also, there is evidence that petitioners will purchase food ingredients "on a commercial basis,” although the significance of that finding is not made apparent. Thus, the thrust of the finding is supported, but the specifics of the finding go beyond any substantiating evidence.

The evidence regarding Finding No. 3 is mixed. The finding that the primary function of the facility will be entertainment rather than dining is an inference rather than a directly proved fact. There is evidence in the record which might support findings of fact which would in turn support the inference, but the order reflects no such findings. Rather, it purports to support the inference only with a bald reference to the "design and decor of the present and proposed premises.” Such an inferential finding without an expression of the facts giving rise to the inference is insufficient, Cottrell v. OLCC, 27 Or App 525, 556 P2d [761]*761982 (1976). Again, the thrust of the finding may have support in the record, but the justifying facts do not.

We uphold Finding No. 4 for reasons which do not require discussion.

Findings Nos. 5 and 6, though listed as facts, are inferential reasoning in support of Conclusion No. 3 discussed below.

Because the evidentiary support for the findings is so mixed and remand for proper findings is required, it is also appropriate to consider the conclusions of law.

The Conclusions

The order states these conclusions of law:

"1. The Commission has considered Rule 845-10-720(2) and concludes that the type of food to be offered is not demanded by public interest or convenience, in that it is typical restaurant fare with a limited specialty menu.
"2. The Commission has considered Rule 845-10-720(3) and concludes that the size, design, facilities and decor of the outlet is not demanded by public interest or convenience, in that it is intended to promote entertainment and liquor sales and not family dining.
"3. The Commission has considered Rule 845-10-715(10) and concludes that with the limited number of licenses it has available, it would not be in the public interest to grant a license to applicant with a proposed limited menu and ordinary food items, but reserve the available licenses for an outlet which would serve a greater segment of the public.”

Boiled down, the essential rationale of the conclusions is a policy judgment that the limited number of available licenses should be granted only to outlets designed for family dining rather than entertainment. We will uphold an order based on that rationale if, under the rules of administrative procedure compiled in McCann v. OLCC, 27 Or App 487, 556 P2d 973 (1976) rev den (1977), the underlying policy appears in the statutes or has been promulgated as policy by rule, [762]*762described in pre-decisional criteria adopted by rule, or is shown by the internal reasoning of the order to advance the statutory purpose.

Statute

Neither ORS 472.030 which states the purpose of the liquor-by-the-drink statutes, nor ORS 472.110 which defines Class "A” distributor licenses, nor ORS 472.180 which lists the grounds for denial of licenses, states a statutory policy regarding family dining or entertainment and the order does not purport to rely on statutes.

Rule

In McCann we stated:

"* * * We have held that the Administrative Procedures Act, ORS ch 183, requires that administrative agencies operating under the broad grants of power establish standards for official action for the purpose, among others, of consistency of application. One reason for that requirement, we observed in Sun Ray Dairy v. OLCC, 16 Or App 63, 71, 517 P2d 289 (1973) (Sun Ray I), is that an applicant is 'entitled to even treatment by rule of law and reasonable confidence that he has received such treatment.’ See also Graham v. OLCC, 25

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Related

Polizos v. Oregon Liquor Control Commission
594 P.2d 1248 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
588 P.2d 681, 37 Or. App. 757, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2370, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/polizos-v-oregon-liquor-control-commission-orctapp-1978.