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Entertainment Commission conditionally approves Rendezvous Tapas Lounge permit, OKs Chaps Bar accessory machines
Summary
The Entertainment Commission conditionally granted a place‑of‑entertainment permit for Rendezvous Tapas Lounge (2080 Van Ness) with police and neighborhood‑outreach conditions and approved a request to add a pool table and pinball machines at Chaps Bar (1255 Folsom). Commissioners also continued two other items to April 12.
San Francisco’s Entertainment Commission on Tuesday conditionally approved a permit for Rendezvous Tapas Lounge at 2080 Van Ness and granted a small accessory‑use request for Chaps Bar at 1255 Folsom.
The commission attached police‑recommended conditions to the Rendezvous permit and added a neighborhood‑outreach requirement. Staff described the proposed venue as a restaurant with a lounge and small‑plates menu; the application lists kitchen hours from 5 p.m. to midnight and lounge hours to 2 a.m., and staff reported an occupancy of about 125 people. San Francisco Police Department Northern Station recommended limits including ending live entertainment by 1:30 a.m., installing surveillance cameras, and maintaining bona‑fide food service while open late.
Representing the applicants, Mark Rennie told the commission the owners held a neighborhood meeting on March 1 and agreed to the police conditions. “We have 16 very tough conditions,” Rennie said, and he asked that the commission make the grant conditional on those measures. Neighbor Dawn Trennert, president of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association, urged quarterly check‑ins for the first year to identify and correct issues quickly.
Inspector Dave Falzon of the police department said officers would watch the venue closely and that the Alcoholic Beverage Control authority could pursue violations of the ABC license if the space did not operate as a restaurant. “If they’re truly a restaurant, they’re not going to have very many problems with us,” Falzon said.
On the Chaps Bar request, staff said the operator sought approval to add one pool table and two pinball machines as accessory amusement devices; Southern Station premise officer Kevin Edison, who inspected the site, reported that required adjustments had been made and recommended conditional approval.
The commission voted to attach police conditions 1–5 already covered by its good‑neighbor policy and to adopt police conditions 6–9 for Northern Station, amending condition 9 to require that the owner provide a monthly calendar of events to both Northern Station and Entertainment Commission staff. Commissioners also approved a motion to continue two unrelated items (items C and D) to April 12 so those applicants could be heard then.
The approvals are conditional: the record shows the commission intends continued monitoring and post‑opening reviews, and the police made clear they will seek ABC enforcement or license revocation if operators fail to meet required conditions. The commission did not take final disciplinary actions tonight; instead it imposed monitoring, reporting, and neighborhood‑meeting requirements designed to reduce neighborhood impacts.
Next procedural steps: the two continued items will be heard April 12; license compliance and any neighborhood complaints will be handled by Northern Station and may trigger ABC review, per police remarks at the hearing.
