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Licensing board restores Tula Cafe’s TV-and-radio privileges, bars DJs after noise complaints
Summary
At a Lynn City licensing hearing the board reinstated Tula Cafe’s TV-and-radio entertainment license but said live DJs and amplified music are not allowed after multiple noise complaints and police calls; owner was told to file a manager change if she will be absent for extended periods.
The Lynn City Licensing Board agreed to allow Tula Cafe to resume use of its TV-and-radio entertainment license while prohibiting DJs and other live amplified entertainment after multiple noise complaints and police reports.
Nancy, owner of Tula Cafe, told the board she has been traveling for months and that several employees and a DJ were recently dismissed after incidents that generated police reports. “We had to let go a bunch of people, supervisor and 2 employees,” Nancy said. “We released [the DJ] immediately, because we understood what that obviously took us, breaking the regulations.”
A board member reminded the owner that a separate entertainment license is required for DJs and live amplified music and reiterated that the licensee is responsible for employee and entertainer conduct. “Secondly, you need an entertainment license to have a DJ,” the board member said. The member also told the owner that, because the cafe sits in a residential area, volume must be kept at an appropriate level and that staff must comply with police directions.
Board members and staff said Tula Cafe’s entertainment privilege had been limited to TV and radio. The board noted the cafe’s entertainment privileges were suspended following the earlier incidents; the owner confirmed she had complied by removing the DJ. The owner said she would follow the board’s direction regarding live entertainment and would pursue any required permits for lawful live performances.
The owner described staffing arrangements while she travels: her brother and her mother will manage day-to-day operations when she is absent, and her sister is in training. Board members advised that the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) and local licensing practice expect on‑site managers to be local and vetted; they recommended filing a formal change-of-manager form if the owner will be frequently out of state.
During the hearing a board member moved to reinstate Tula Cafe’s TV-and-radio entertainment license with the explicit condition that no DJs or boomboxes be allowed and that the licensee submit any required manager-change paperwork. The motion was seconded and the board approved the reinstatement; the owner agreed to file the requested change-of-manager form and to keep volume levels low.
Clarifying details from the hearing: the board said the cafe’s entertainment privileges had been suspended since the prior meeting and that the owner removed the DJ after the complaint; the cafe’s stated capacity is roughly 30–35 people; and the board advised that entertainment beyond TV and radio requires a separate authorization. The owner said the cafe has operated at the location for about 12 years and that the recent noise incidents began only after the one DJ event, which has since been discontinued.
The board concluded by directing staff to provide the owner the manager‑change form and to document the agreement that live DJs are not permitted without a separate license. The owner said she would submit the requested paperwork promptly.
