In August the bar was given one last chance and on Wednesday morning the city said Tanzen Haus failed that test.
The City of Covington’s alcoholic beverage control board voted 2-0 to suspend indefinitely the bar’s 2:30 a.m. liquor license, meaning the bar can now only serve alcohol until 1 a.m.
In August, owner Angel Minton appeared before the ABC Board to defend Tanzen Haus, which is located at 404 West Pike Street and was previously known as Yadda Club. Residents of a nearby neighborhood signed a petition detailing what they described as “disorderly behavior” around the premises. Police records also indicate that shots were fired near the bar, though the city’s zoning administrator said that the gunfire did not happen inside the place but was connected to it.
Minton and her attorney met with the city to reach an agreement in order to retain the 2:30 license. That solution was approved by City Manager Larry Klein and Police Chief Spike Jones who make up the ABC Board along with resident Linda Carter who recused herself from the hearing because she lives nearby.
Then, a couple weeks ago, a fight broke out at the bar and a Covington Police officer was assaulted during the break-up, Jones said.Â
That landed Minton and Tanzen Haus back in front of the ABC Board and this time Klein and Jones voted to suspend the license. The 1 a.m. license is controlled by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.Â
From The River City News‘s report in August:
Under an agreement, Tanzen Haus has agreed to close at 2 a.m. instead of 2:30 a.m. for thirty days. It will charge a minimum cover of $5 for women and $10 for men on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. A dress code will prohibit t-shirts and gang colors. An off duty police officer will provide a detail on weekend nights for ninety days.
For thirty days, Tanzen Haus will provide its patrons with materials explaining that the ABC hearing took place and that the bar is in danger of losing its 2:30 a.m. liquor license. “Anything happening after the date of this order can still be the subject of a licensing proceeding,” said assistant city solicitor Bryce Rhoades. “Essentially, this was something (Covington Police) Lt. Col. (Bryan) Carter and Captain (Rob) Nader were fine with and we thought this would be something we could propose and see, and the board could monitor and see how things progress.”
This video shows “A Tanzen Haus patron throwing up right in front of my house after the police had left. Thanks for throwing up on the sidewalk and not the street,” according to Meyer:
Minton, meanwhile, called the decision “racist”. Scott Wartmat at The Cincinnati Enquirer reports:
“I feel like we’re being harassed, and I feel like it’s all about the color of my clients,” Minton told the Enquirer after the hearing. “I’m not going to take this laying down, for sure. This is uncalled for and totally not fair.”
“I don’t understand the basis for that quote,” Jones told The River City News. “(The decision was) based on the agreed order that they willfully submitted to. There was a subsequent violation, a fight at the bar and a police officer was struck. It was revoked based on that. I don’t understand the reason she’s saying it’s motivated by race.”
Minton has ten days to appeal the decision to the city commission, and after that, if necessary, Kenton County Circuit Court. After the ten days pass without an appeal hearing, the license is pulled.
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-Michael Monks, editor & publisher
Photo:Â Tanzen Haus/RCN file