Craft cocktail hotspot Polite Provisions on 30th Street in North Park has been temporarily closed after its fourth liquor license violation, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
Polite Provisions' most recent accusation was filed with the ABC on June 24, 2022, and led to a 30-day suspension, which began just two days before Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year for the cocktail bar that transforms into a holiday hodgepodge this time of year.
According to a spokesperson for the state agency, Polite Provisions is "currently serving a suspension for violations of Business and Professions Codes 23300 and 23355," which means "the business was allowing patrons to leave with open alcoholic beverage containers."
The establishment is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google and a vague Instagram post from the company calls the hiatus a “winter break” as they approach their 10-year anniversary. NBC 7 reached out directly to Consortium Holdings, the company behind the bar, and did not receive a response.
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According to their post, the bar's scheduled reopening date is January 23, exactly one month after the issuance of their suspension, which was first reported by Sandiegoville.com.
Prior to its current suspension, Polite Provisions has been the subject of three prior disciplinary actions dating back to 2016 relating to allegations they refilled liquor bottles, and allowed patrons to leave the property with open alcoholic beverages, according to ABC data.
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The bar's first accusation was filed April 21, 2016, after the bar "allowed patrons to leave the premises with open alcoholic beverage containers, they failed to post a “no persons under 21 allowed” sign, the beer spigots were not labeled properly, and bottles of distilled spirits were found to be refilled," ABC spokesperson Bryce Avalos said.
This action resulted in a $3,000 fine being issued in lieu of the bar serving a license suspension.
The second violation, filed April 8, 2019, came about after bar was found to have again allowed "patrons to leave the premises with open alcoholic beverage containers, and failed to post a 'no persons under 21 allowed' sign," leading to a $6,000 fine in lieu of serving a license suspension, Avalos confirmed.
Just less than five months later, the bar received a third violation, filed August 26, 2019, after distilled spirits in the bar were below the stated proof on the bottle. The bar also failed to post a “no persons under 21 allowed” sign, there was improper labeling of beer spigots, the bar permitted patrons and/or employees to leave the premises with open alcoholic beverage containers, and the bar refilled bottles of distilled spirits prior to serving.
Following its third violation, the bar was issued a 25-day license suspension in March 2020, Avalos confirmed.
Fortunate Son, Polite Provisions' sister restaurant, has also been the subject to multiple liquor license suspensions, the most recent, just three months ago.
On June 29, 2022, an accusation was filed with the ABC after Fortunate Son "served distilled spirits without a license and served alcohol in unlicensed areas." These actions led to a 30-day suspension earlier this year.
On September 20, 2019, Fortunate Son's first violation was filed for patrons being allowed to "leave the premises with open alcoholic beverage containers," and led to a 15-day suspension which was served from March 25 until April 9, 2020, according to the state agency.
Both establishments are part of Consortium Holdings, a conglomerate of restaurants that you’d only know were tied together because of their quirky, creative concepts.
Included in the consortium is Part Time Lover, a record-store turned cocktail bar in North Park; Morning Glory, the hipster brunch restaurant overlooking Little Italy’s Plaza de Famiglia; The Neighborhood which contains its speakeasy, Noble Experiment, and speakeasy-within-a-speakeasy, Young Blood; and about a dozen other restaurants and bars, as well as a barber shop.
The group also recently acquired the historic Lafayette Hotel for $25 million, of which they plan to renovate rooms and add several food and beverage venues to the property.
Copies of the accusations and orders provided to Polite Provisions by the ABC can be viewed below:
