Dalton council upholds Public Safety Commission recommendation to revoke Deja Vu’s alcohol license

The Dalton mayor and council on May 4 voted to support the Public Safety Commission’s recommendation to revoke Deja Vu Club LLC’s alcohol license, following an on-the-record review of the commission’s April 21 hearing.

City Attorney (speaker 8) summarized the hearing record, saying the commission found Deja Vu in “willful violation of 6-142” for providing false information on applications that changed the business’s designation from a bar to a restaurant. He told council that the city’s code defines a restaurant to include a full-service kitchen, seating for at least 40 and a requirement that the licensee “derive 50% of the total annual gross sales from the sales of prepared meals or food.” Under the code section governing council review (6-234), he said, a finding by council that the record supports the PSC recommendation would require revocation for 60 months.

The council heard public comment before the review. Andrea Gordy, who identified herself as an event organizer and commercial realtor, urged council to consider the civic and networking events she hosts at the venue and said, “I don’t think it’s fair to just say, oh, he’s a nightclub, because he’s not.” Alex Patel, the owner whose businesses were the subject of the hearing, alleged inconsistent enforcement and said he was pressured to surrender licenses; he told the council, “It seems to me that the city attorney set me up to surrender the license.” Maria Salaisis, who said she assisted Patel with his application process, identified herself as a witness for his account.

A council member moved to support the Public Safety Commission’s recommendation; the motion was seconded and the council voted to approve it. The city attorney had explained that a revocation under the cited code would remove alcohol privileges and bar the licensee from reapplying for the alcohol license; the business could, in theory, continue as a food-serving establishment but without alcohol sales.

One council member questioned whether there was sufficient documentary backup for the audit evidence admitted at the PSC hearing; another council member praised staff, code enforcement, the police department and the city auditor for their work on the case. The council’s decision was strictly a review of the administrative record; the city attorney emphasized this was not the forum for additional evidence.

The council did not provide further administrative remedies at the meeting; the code provisions cited by the city attorney set a 60-month revocation period for licensees where the council finds the PSC recommendation supported.