CB3 Panel Asks Paulaner Brauhaus to Make Nice with the Neighbors

At last night’s Community Board 3 meeting, there was a setback for the team planning to open Paulaner Brauhaus, a 4,000 square foot beer hall at 265 Bowery.  Rudy Tauscher, the general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, appeared before CB3’s liquor licensing committee to explain the grand plans for the space previously occupied by a restaurant equipment company.

Tauscher said the new venue will allow him to return to his German roots in family dining, after a long career running big hotels (he’s worked in New York for 17 years).  Paulaner beer will be brewed on premises at the 250 seat restaurant (the famed German brewery awarded Tauscher licensing rights).  The restaurant would open at 7 a.m., offering baked goods and other breakfast items. There would be lunch service and, of course, dinner until midnight weeknights and 1 a.m. weekends. 

Tauscher was joined at last night’s meeting by several residents of 265-267 Bowery, as well as other nearby buildings. They’re fearful of more late night nose and crowds on the already noisy and crowded stretch of the Bowery.  They complained that Tauscher and his team had not reached out to them before the CB3 hearing.  Complicating matters: an apparent dispute between the landlord and residents of 265-267 Bowery which (according to at least one resident) may end up in court.

Tauscher said he personally rang doorbells in the neighborhood and was told by CB3 that there is no block association in the immediate area.   Community board members intimated that the proposal would likely be approved, but asked the operators to withdraw their application and to meet with neighbors to address their concerns.

Tauscher reluctantly  agreed.  Look for an encore from Paulaner Brauhaus next month.