The final approval necessary to bring “Two Buck Chuck” and other alcoholic beverages into the Trader Joe’s in West Windsor has been granted.
The Township Council voted on April 19 to award a $750,000 plenary retail liquor distribution license to the store, five months after it confirmed it as being a pre-qualified bidder.
According to Alison Mochizuki, spokeswoman for Trader Joe’s, the store will begin selling wine and beer on Monday, May 3. Two Buck Chuck will be available for $2.99, she said.
Last November, the council accepted the store’s bid of $750,000 toward the liquor license and awarded it a liquor license. Although the license was awarded, there was still a process that had to be completed before liquor could be sold in the store, which included the township’s police department conducting background checks and fingerprints for anyone who is a stakeholder in the venture.
Once the background check was completed, township officials needed to contact the Board of Alcoholic Beverages. Then, the license was created. A person-to-person transfer was conducted because the township initiated the license and still owned the license until it was given to the store.
The township was able to make another distribution license available as a result of a census survey conducted by Mac Acquisition before it was awarded a $700,000 liquor license in September. Mac Acquisition owns Macaroni Grill and On the Border. The census survey showed enough residential growth to make available another liquor distribution license.
