Plume fights back against city fines for expired alcohol permit
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Plume opened on Teche Street in 2020. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
The owners of a small Algiers restaurant continue their fight against a New Orleans licensing procedure in the hopes of seeing thousands of dollars in fines wiped out.
Why it matters: Merritt Coscia and her husband and business partner, Tyler Stuart, say that if pressed to pay the fines, they'd likely be forced to close their Indian restaurant, Plume.
The latest: Plume's plight inspired a recent City Council ordinance requiring officials to notify businesses about alcohol permit expirations by mail and email.
- "We just want to make things a lot more practical and easy for our small businesses," Councilman Freddie King said when introducing the ordinance.
Catch up quick: When Coscia and Stuart looked to renew their state liquor license this summer, they discovered their city license was out of date by two years — and they face thousands of dollars in fines to get it corrected.
- The issue, they say, stems from the city using a defunct email address to notify them of the expiration and failing to reach out in any other way.
- "I now have to pay $4,800 in fines in addition to the $2,381.25 permit fee which covers 2 years of permitting fees PLUS $500 in late fees. All for one missed message? Really?" they wrote on Instagram.
The big picture: Plume isn't alone in facing this challenge, The Times-Picayune's Ian McNulty reports.
- At Plume's initial city hearing to renew the license, they were joined in the indiscretion by several other local businesses like the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Keiefe & Co., Vincent's Italian Cuisine, the Delachaise and the New Orleans Jazz Market.
- It's a problem, representatives told the newspaper and during the July 28 hearing, that the city makes it hard on local businesses to keep up with the permitting and licensing required to stay compliant with city policies.
What we're watching: Most businesses at that hearing settled up with the city — but not Plume.
- "That day alone, the city collected nearly $100,000 in fines from 26 businesses. New, old, small, and large — all hit the same way," reads a post on the restaurant's Instagram. "Something has to change."
- Now, Plume awaits action from the city's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The restaurant's case was due in front of that board Sept. 10, but Coscia says they weren't notified about that appearance either.
- It's "unclear about the next one," she says. "Hopefully, they tell us."