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Kiki Kudo wins SLA approval after agreeing to midnight close and to withdraw outdoor seating plan
Summary
After intense neighborhood opposition, CE 27 LLC (Kiki Kudo) agreed to withdraw its DOT roadbed (outdoor seating) application and file a notarized affidavit from the licensee accepting a midnight closing policy and other operational restrictions; the State Liquor Authority approved the change conditional on those commitments.
A contentious exchange between Community Board 2 and the operator of Kiki Kudo (CE 27 LLC) ended with a negotiated settlement: the restaurant agreed to withdraw its pending DOT roadbed application for outdoor seating, accept a midnight closing time across the week, and provide a notarized affidavit from the licensee confirming those commitments.
Community Board chair Donna Raftery framed the opposition: "When they came [for the on‑premise license] they had said the 10 and the 12 [closing hours] were reasonable — they worked with the community to arrive at those hours. Now they're asking for midnight and 2:00 a.m., and that goes against the agreement that created the public interest." After lengthy testimony, the applicant's representatives (landlords acting as agent) offered to withdraw the outdoor‑dining application and to secure a sworn affidavit from the licensee that he agrees to the midnight limit and never to apply for roadside seating. The board voted to approve the change of hours on that condition.
The final package of conditions placed on Kiki Kudo's license includes: midnight closing Sundays–Thursdays and midnight on Fri–Sat (lights out and customers out at midnight), no outdoor roadbed or sidewalk seating in perpetuity tied to the license, recorded music only (no DJs), no third‑party promoters, no ticketed events, no private parties without prior board approval, and a notarized affidavit from the licensee confirming the commitments. Licensing staff said the affidavit and DOT withdrawal must be on file before any change of hours becomes effective.
