Efforts to address community concerns called 'too little too late'
The Kenner City Council on Thursday unanimously revoked the liquor licenses of two restaurants after police found women who solicited patrons to buy drinks at inflated prices.
Taqueria Sanchez at 920 Williams Blvd. lost its liquor license.The practice, known as b-drinking, along with numerous other alleged criminal violations, cost the licenses of two Taqueria Sanchez locations, at 920 Williams Blvd. and 2633 Williams.
"I feel like this rose to a serious and flagrant level," said Councilman Joe Stagni, who represents the area where both businesses are located.
Police Chief Steve Caraway and others said the businesses are bars posing as restaurants.
"There are multiple incidents where brawls broke out," the chief said. "You don't have knives brandished in restaurants. You don't have bottles broken over people's heads in restaurants."
It was an undercover law enforcement operation that found numerous instances of b-drinking at both locations, officials said.
Attorney Donglai Yang said that after he started representing the business owners in January, the businesses started improving.
"They made a change," he said, including closing earlier, installing video surveillance, posting signs disallowing b-drinking and vowing to pay for taxi rides home for inebriated customers.
Stagni responded: "In my view it's too little too late."
Councilwoman Maria DeFrancesch told Yang that police reports prove that the restaurant is not improving. Of the 10 times Kenner police responded to bars in January, nine of those times were to Taqueria Sanchez.
"How does that show improvement?" she asked. In February, she said, three of five police calls were to Taqueria Sanchez.
Kenner's alcohol beverage outlet committee held a hearing in February and recommended the licenses be revoked and a $2,500 fine be imposed. Stagni asked, and the council approved, a $2,500 fine for each location, for a total of $5,000.
Yang asked for a rehearing before the council. That would have had to happen another day because witnesses would need to be subpoenaed, said Deputy City Attorney Leigh Roussel. The council refused the request.
Residents and nearby business owners urged the council to permanently revoke the licenses.
"We don't need this type of business in Kenner," said resident Robert Miles, who called license revocation for a year too mild a reproach. "If they're saying it's going to hurt them then they're really a bar."
Roussel said that the restaurants would actually lose their liquor licenses for a year and a day and after that time would need to reapply for the licenses.