Johnny’s Hall of Fame, a bar and restaurant owned by CB Richard Ellis/Hubbell Commercial broker Todd Millang and Hubbell Realty Co., has applied for a conditional use permit to sell wine, liquor or beer at 302 Court Ave. in Des Moines.

City records show that the business has been unable to meet the minimum requirements to preserve its status as an eating establishment. In order to maintain restaurant status, at least 50 percent of a business’s revenues must be derived from food sales. The permit would change Johnny’s status to a tavern use.

“I think they are just being proactive to cover their bases,” said Bert Drost, a senior city planner with the city of Des Moines. “Nothing (else) about their business is going to change,” he said, noting that the company will continue to serve food. The Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment is expected to consider the matter on May 25.

Johnny’s was remodeled by its owners at a cost exceeding $500,000 and reopened in 2008. Millang owns a majority stake in the downtown-based company and real estate. He told the Business Record last September that Johnny’s generates approximately $2 million in annual sales.

In February, the Des Moines City Council approved the vacation of a right of way that will allow Johnny’s to remodel and expand its outdoor patio area. “We’re finalizing some bids; we’re going to redo our patio and give it a cleaner look to match the rest of the reconstruction from three years ago,” Millang said.