Virgin Jello shots? Popular Beaufort bar fighting effort to block liquor license

Supporters are rallying behind a popular Beaufort restaurant and bar while a local attorney seeks to block its liquor license renewal.

Hemingway’s Bistro on Bay Street was the subject of a protest filed in December with state alcohol regulators alleging numerous violations. The hole-in-the-wall establishment opens into Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park with outdoor seating and offers food and drinks, including $1 Jello shots.

Beaufort attorney John North filed a protest in December with the Department of Revenue Alcohol Beverage Licensing, according to a copy of the form provided by Hemingway’s owner Andina Foster and confirmed by a state official. North listed his home address as a suite above Regions Bank on Bay Street.

A protested application automatically denies the license renewal, a Department of Revenue spokeswoman said. The business can then appeal and have its case heard in Administrative Law Court.

Hemingway’s has been given a temporary alcohol license while it awaits a hearing. No hearing date has been set, Foster said.

Foster said Hemingway’s has followed the rules.

North, in filing the protest, said Hemingway’s was “detrimental to nearby residents and not conducive to the general welfare of the community” and knowingly creates a public nuisance, according to information Foster provided. North also cited a list of alcohol-related violations, including over-serving, open-container violations and allowing “lewd and lascivious activities.”

Attempts to reach North this week by phone and email were unsuccessful. North said in a voicemail he is out of town until later this week.

“It appears he went down the list of requirements for license renewal and protested everything he thought could be related,” Foster said.

North has been part of a debate in recent years about the city’s noise ordinance and striking a balance between Beaufort’s nightlife and downtown residents. His loft above Regions Bank neighbors Hemingway’s and nearby Panini’s, which also has received noise complaints in the past.

“I think at some point, this City Council has to be the adult in this room and say the party has to end at a reasonable hour,” North said at a city meeting in 2015.

Foster said Hemingway’s received notice in late January it had been under scrutiny for possible violations, but none had been found.

Customers have been signing a petition at the bar supporting the license renewal. An online petition had received more than 900 signatures Tuesday morning.

A Facebook post about the petition by Panini’s owner Paul Thompson has been shared more than 400 times.

“The fight to save downtown Beaufort nightlife has not ended, the opposition has only changed tactics,” Thompson wrote.

Foster said the protested license is an extension of North’s past noise complaints against the bar and other Bay Street businesses. The owners have operated Hemingway’s almost 20 years with no previous licensing issues, Foster said.

“This is an escalation of the harassment,” Foster said.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Virgin Jello shots? Popular Beaufort bar fighting effort to block liquor license."