A Broadway bar is facing a three-month rollback of its operating hours following a number of violations in the wake of a fight in May that started inside the establishment.
Beginning Sept. 1, Las Vegas Restaurant at 388 Broadway will have to close at 11 p.m., two hours earlier than its current 1 a.m. closing time on the weekends.
The violations stemmed from an incident in the early morning hours of May 18, according to Chelsea Police Sgt. Star Chung.
Shortly before 1 a.m., Chung said officers were flagged down by a passerby who reported a fight in front of the Las Vegas Restaurant. Three men were arrested, and a further investigation by officers on the scene and a review of the video from the restaurant showed that the fight began within the bar.
Chung and Officer Joe Santiago said the additional investigation showed that there were violations including rules and regulations not being properly posted, security officials not wearing the proper uniform, staff drinking on the premises, the police not being called in a timely manner once there was an issue, and the door being locked once the men involved in the disruption were outside.
Sam Vitali, the attorney for the restaurant, noted that the business is a family affair, and that on the date of the incident, the stepson of the owner was managing the bar while the manager of record was on vacation.
Vitali further explained that the waitress seen drinking in the video was celebrating her birthday, and that subsequently, the staff who were drinking while working were fired. Vitali also noted that the establishment has not been before the licensing commission since current owner and licensee Raul Sanchez took over the restaurant in 2021.
“I think that if you look at the totality of the event, the incident, we can’t put the genie back in the bottle, there were mistakes in judgment that were made,” said Vitali. “But going forward, I think holding a seminar or a training is a good idea for all licensees, but it’s no good unless you pay attention to what you present.”
In addition to firing the staff that was drinking on the job, Vitali said the owner also fired the security company that was on duty that night.
Licensing Commission Chair Marnie MacAlpine noted that the restaurant has been in business for a number of years and should have been able to follow the rules.
“These rules and regulations are not new,” she said. “Part of having a license is knowing and understanding, following the city’s rules and regulations. So if you are going to have somebody that is overseeing the business one night, because obviously a manager on record can’t be there every hour that an establishment is open; but whoever is on property needs to understand the rules and regulations because otherwise you are messing up as an owner and a licensee.”
Licensing Commission member Alexandria Christmas said that in addition to the three-month rollback of hours, she would also like to see additional training for the staff at Las Vegas.
MacAlpine said that if there are no other incidents during the three month rollback period, and the police determine that the restaurant is following all rules and regulations, the commission could then take action to let it return to the 1 a.m. closing on the weekends.