Tyler Stewart and his wife, Merit, owners of a small Indian restaurant in Algiers called Plume, told the New Orleans City Council that a series of administrative fines and fees have placed the business at risk.

Tyler Stewart said the restaurant opened in July 2020, has weathered Hurricane Ida and pandemic-era disruptions and has never turned a profit. He told the council the business has been assessed nearly $10,000 collectively in fines over a missed liquor-permit renewal notice; he said the restaurant was told it needs to pay $3,600 to move forward with liquor permitting, and that they already paid about $2,500 in permits and fees. “We have only profited $7,000 in liquor sales last year. $7,000,” Stewart said. “We are extremely small. We don't make much of a profit.”

Stewart asked the council to “consider reforming how fines and fees are handled, eliminate unnecessary penalties or at least scale them to a business's actual revenue.” Several council members voiced public support and said they would work to help the owners navigate city processes. One lawmaker said the owners are “truly a mom and pop restaurant” who reinvested in their building and live across the street; another said, “Small businesses are really the backbone of the city of New Orleans,” and pledged to coordinate assistance.

Council members described examples the owners raised: a disputed $10,000 water bill tied to a toilet leak, unresolved threats over parking from a neighbor that proceeded to court, and back property-tax charges dating from before the current owners bought the building. Council members urged the Alcoholic Beverage Office (ABO) and the Department of Safety and Permits to review the case and consider waivers or scaled penalties for small businesses with demonstrated compliance on sales tax and state licensing.

No formal city action or vote was recorded on the item during the meeting; council members said they would follow up with the owners and coordinate privately and publicly to seek relief and to review ABO and DSP procedures for small businesses.