P.J. Whelihan's Needed New Liquor License to Build New

South Whitehall Township commissioners last week approved the transfer of a liquor license from Allentown into the township for the owners of P.J. Whelihan’s restaurant at Broadway and Tilghman streets.

The restaurant, which occupies a 143-year-old building at 4595 Broadway, has had a liquor license for years.

However, the license the restaurant has—for hotels—will not allow restaurant owners to raze the building, replace it and continue to operate. For that, Platz’s Restaurants Inc. needs to buy a liquor license for restaurants.

With permission from the township, given with a 4-0 vote following a comment-free public hearing, P.J. Whelihan’s can now do that.

They have negotiated to buy a license from Allentown Entertainment Inc., which had a restaurant liquor license attached to 2131 Lehigh St., in Allentown, the address of the shuttered Scarlett’s Grand International strip club.

Owner Robert Platzer and developer Polaris Corner L.P. have proposed building a 9,240-square-foot, 250-seat restaurant at the site, nearly triple the size of the existing one, with 114 parking spaces.

The restaurant is the chain's second location in the township after P.J.'s at the Walbert, which opened in 2000 at 1658 Hausman Road.

The owners did not divulge what they are planning to do with the current liquor license.