The DNA Lounge, Slim's, Great American Music Hall, Cafe Du Nord and the Bottom Of The Hill are under a big magnifying glass from the ABC.
here are some of the details.
SF gate/Chronicle
ABC doesn't slow down on prosecutions of music clubs
Great American Music Hall patrons eat before a show.
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle
Great American Music Hall patrons eat before a show.
Apparently that optimism last week over the state Alcoholic Beverage Control agency backing off San Francisco music clubs was a bit premature.
As we reported several weeks ago, the ABC has been cracking down on the city's famous all-ages music clubs, saying that venues such as Bottom of the Hill and Slim's are violating their liquor license by not serving enough food and making minor changes to their operations. The clubs contend these conditions have never been enforced before and that in some cases they weren't aware of them.
Following our story, ABC Chief Steve Hardy sat down with State Senator Mark Leno and pledged to work with the legislator on ways to keep the clubs in business, possibly by creating a new type of license. (Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Sophie Maxwell also have expressed support for the clubs.) Club owners assumed Hardy's statements meant the agency would halt, or at least slow down, the cases against them. But this week, Bottom of the Hill received notice that they will be in ABC court again on May 6. Cases are also pending against Cafe Du Nord, Slim's and the Great American Music Hall.
ABC spokesman John Carr said the new hearing is simply the administrative process moving forward, but that Hardy fully intends on working with Leno to resolve the general issue.
"We always try to work to solve problems but in the meantime the ABC is standing by its original story," he said.
Tim Benetti, co-owner of Bottom of the Hill, isn't so sure. And Leno was peeved as well, saying he's surprised "and not in a good way." Leno argued all hearings should be put on hold until the broader issue -- what types of licenses all-ages music clubs should have -- is resolved, noting that the underlying question is at the heart of the pending cases.
"The fact that they decided to go forward with the enforcement action is kind of disgusting to me, after the conciliatory tone last week," Benetti said. "The end game hasn't changed, if they are successful with the enforcement action then they will take our license and we will go out of business. That's exactly what they said they didn't want to do. What's the point of going forward if they are going to work with us on another outcome?"
The Insider also spoke with Ross Glen this week, a recently retired senior licensing representative for the ABC. Glen said he investigated several of these cases, including Bottom of the Hill, and he was baffled by the ABC's position. He expressed support for the creation of a new type of license for entertainment venues.
"Nothing is enforced without some type of complaint," he said. "But I spent hours out there knocking on doors and I couldn't find any local residents that weren't 110 percent behind Bottom of the Hill."
Ross said he was pushed by his superiors to deny the club's request that the ABC remove some conditions from the license, such as the minimum food sales requirement.
"I felt sick about it," he said, but added the conditions make sense at other places.