Gallup schedules hearing on Virgie’s Restaurant liquor license transfer

Gallup City Council will take public comment on whether to transfer Dispenser Liquor License #DIS-000552 for Virgie’s Restaurant & Lounge, a decision that could affect one of the city’s longtime licensed businesses on W. 66 Avenue.

The hearing is set for Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Gallup City Hall, 110 West Aztec Avenue. The notice says the license would transfer from Charlie Chavez, doing business as Virgie’s Restaurant & Lounge, to Burnt Corn Holdings, LLC, doing business as Virgie’s Restaurant & Lounge, at 2720 W. 66 Avenue.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Division already granted preliminary approval for the application. Under state law, the local governing body must hold a public hearing within 45 days after receiving that preliminary approval, and the hearing notice must be published twice in the 30 days before the meeting, with the first notice at least 30 days ahead of time. Gallup posted the notice on April 10 and said it will publish it again on Friday, May 8.

The hearing gives residents, nearby businesses and customers a formal chance to raise concerns or support the transfer before city officials act. Under New Mexico law, the council may reject a transfer if it would violate law or zoning, or if it would be detrimental to the public health, safety or morals of residents in the local option district. In a prior Gallup liquor-license case, city officials described that same standard as the key test for disapproval.

Virgie’s has a long local footprint that helps explain why the transfer is drawing attention beyond a routine ownership change. Visit Gallup says the restaurant has served the Gallup area since the 1960s, when Timoteo and Virgie Chavez founded it, and that Charlie Chavez has run the business at its current location since 1980. Visit Gallup lists the restaurant’s capacity at 135.

For neighbors and regulars along the west side of Gallup, the issue is not just who owns the license. A transfer can signal changes in management, staffing, operating hours or the way the business interacts with the surrounding corridor, making the May 12 hearing the city’s next public test of how the transition fits the neighborhood.