Restaurant Fined Over 'No Dancing' Law, Starts Petition To End Ban
CBS Local -- A California restaurant is fighting for their customer's right to party after being fined for allowing dancing in their establishment.
Mr. Peabody's Bar and Grill was fined $3,000 by the city of Encinitas after a four-month investigation found that the owners let their eaters dance to live music. "We were told it could even include a group of people standing, swaying to the music," co-owner Brie Cardosa said, via the San Diego Reader.
The dancing ban in Encinitas reportedly dates back to a city ordinance from 1986 that prohibits people from dancing in restaurants during evening business hours. Cardosa added that they found out their current business license also bans having more than four musicians on stage at one time. "It ended our Jam Nights; Blues Jam, Jazz Jam, all our Jams had to be canceled."
Other California cities have also cracked down on having fun in eateries, claiming the laws keep nude dancing out of the area. "It seems to be the only way we can legally keep out strip clubs," a City of San Marcos official told the Reader.
Before Mr. Peabody's applies to change their restaurant license into a "cabaret license," the owners have started an online petition to change the city's policy. Calling their petition "Dancing is not a crime," the fight has already gained over 2,000 supporters in its first month online.
