Try telling Artie Tafoya that opening a pub is easy in Lancaster.
"I never knew it could be so difficult," said Tafoya, who is the director of operations and brewmaster for Appalachian Brewing Co., or ABC.
The popular microbrewery and restaurant based in Harrisburg still hopes to bring its operation to the county after its initial attempt to open in Mountville fizzled over a legal dispute with liquor licenses.
Though initial proposals were for one of ABC's eateries to open last February, it's now a safe bet that 2007 won't be the year it comes to Lancaster.
"We really wanted to open in Lancaster in 2007," Tafoya said.
ABC planned to open a 7,800-square-foot eatery and brew pub just off the Mountville exit of Route 30 in West Hempfield Township.
The eatery was planned as an addition to a Sleep Inn and Mainstay Suites hotel on Primrose Lane, which is owned by developer George Kratzert.
"We had everything together [in February]," Tafoya said. "Every time we ran into something."
In a phone interview Thursday, Tafoya said the deal was killed after lawyers representing Kratzert advised him not to go through with it over liability issues.
Tafoya said that the way the state handles liquor licenses made Kratzert liable for accidents involving ABC's other restaurants.
ABC operates restaurants in Camp Hill, Harrisburg and Gettysburg.
Kratzert, who owns Washaw Capital Inc., blamed state liquor regulations for the deal's failure.
"If you're a brewer or brewing company and if you have more than one outlet, all the licenses need to be in one holding company," he said. "ABC has four or five locations, and that would mean I would be subject to whatever problems may occur in other locations where I have no interest or control.
"It's totally unrealistic."
Kratzert still hopes to strike a deal with ABC if the laws are changed.
"Apparently the Pennsylvania Legislature is in the process of changing these rules," he said. "I still think it would be a viable project. We'd be interested in going ahead."
Tafoya agrees.
"The only way we can build in Mountville at this point in time is to change the law," he said.
"[The state] re-evaluated the way they handled brew-pub licenses, and they want all of them thrown into one entity."
Despite the setback, Tafoya is looking at 2008 to be the year he opens his business here.
He said a Mountville eatery is still being planned, but sites in downtown Lancaster city and in the northern part of the county are also being eyed.
"Mountville is the furthest along," he said.
He added that the company is hoping to open two restaurants here instead of just one.
"We're committed to the market," Tafoya said. "We're going to be there.
"We're coming."
Paul Franz is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at pfranz@lnpnews.com or at 295-5063. 