Rifle City Council on Jan. 5 approved a beer and wine license for Super Kidz LLC, a Rifle business offering carnival-style entertainment, including arcade games, food and group events. The center, located at 1733 Railroad Ave., first opened in fall 2021.

According to application documents submitted by owner Mauricio Olvera Resendiz, patrons wishing to drink alcohol who present valid identification will be given bracelets at the entrance. Minors, meanwhile, will be given separate bracelets differing in color.

Alcohol will be sold and served by one person in the restaurant area. Patrons, who can openly drink beer in party areas and in a table-game section toward the back, cannot drink beer in the playground area.

“There’s a whole section in the back for adults only,” Resendiz told City Council.

Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with the last call for alcohol set for 9:30 p.m. The center is also open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with the last call for alcohol occurring at 10:30 p.m.

Before passing 5-2, some council members were skeptical of the specific business model of mixing kids activities, alcohol and pool tables. Many concerns centered on underage drinking and a possible increase in area drunk driving.

“I like to shoot pool. I like to drink beer,” Council member Joe Carpenter, who joined Mayor Ed Green in voting against the license, said. “But pool tables and alcohol are a recipe for trouble.”

Another concern centered around possible noise violations. Cate Gibson, who lives with family in an apartment complex nearby Super Kidz, asked whether reserved parties are going to consist of only families.

“Is it just families coming in? Probably not,” she said. “It’s probably multiple, different people coming in. And the people that are looking to do bad things are going into this establishment.”

“And then you add alcohol into the mix, I just see a really dangerous combination for our community.”

Resendiz, however, has already sent in an application to Colorado for concurrent review and received a verbal green light, Rifle Clerk Misty Williams said.

“They’re just waiting for our approval,” she said. “So they didn’t present any additional questions.”

Meanwhile, Rifle City Attorney Jim Neu said the city can implement local control over Super Kidz if violations occur.

Keeping this in mind, council member Brian Condie said the application was up to snuff, even as he expressed concern about alcohol around children.

“I don’t like combining small children and alcohol, but it doesn’t matter what I like,” he said. “They’re complying with state regulations when serving alcohol with children in the same building.”

Reporter Ray K. Erku can be reached at 612-423-5273 or rerku@citizentelegram.com.