On July 30th, the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board ruled that the bans on dancing and cover charges are finally lifted from Don Juan Restaurant, a popular immigrant-owned eatery in Mt. Pleasant, DC. Don Juan’s can continue to host karaoke until closing.

However, in a ruling that defied logic, the ABC Board denied the restaurant’s application for live music with the solitary exception of “roaming” mariachis. The ruling ignores the 10 resolutions of the Mt. Pleasant Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), a body whose decisions the Board is supposed to give “great weight,” and the opinions of the hundreds of Mt. Pleasant residents who signed petitions, wrote letters, and testified in favor of live entertainment on behalf of this long-time, locally-owned eatery,

Alberto Ferrufino, the owner of Don Juan Restaurant, has been working with Andy Shalal of Busboys & Poets and the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) to revitalize his restaurant in response to the changing neighborhood demographics. Mr. Ferrufino is thrilled that he can continue to offer karaoke to his long time customers, but is concerned that the ruling hurts his ability to attract new customers and compete with restaurants in Columbia Heights who do not have the same restrictions. “How can I respond to my neighbors who have asked me to host local D.J.’s and provide a place for neighborhood talent? What about people who love blues and jazz? Mr. Ferrufino notes that just this week, D.C. Local First, an organization that promotes locally owned businesses, had an event at his restaurant. “They wanted to have a singer, but I had to say no. This ruling makes no sense.”

ABRA inspectors visited Don Juan 41 times over the past year and found no violations of any kind. Mr. Ferrufino spent thousands of dollars to make improvements in his restaurant, including the installation of double-paned windows and new doors to eliminate sound leakage. With help from Hear Mt. Pleasant, Mr. Ferrufino provided advanced training to his staff on alcohol issues and security and even worked with a professional sound engineer to ensure that his restaurant was sound proof.

Neighbor, frequent Don Juan’s customer and Hear Mt. Pleasant member Eugene Stevanus had several questions about the ruling. “What gives ABRA the authority to decide what style of live music a restaurant can provide to its customers? There is no noise issue, the owner is responsible and has addressed neighborhood concerns, so why does ABRA want to waste taxpayer dollars figuring out the difference between mariachi and conjunto, which its ruling makes illegal to be performed at Don Juan’s? If an old redneck like myself opened a restaurant in DC, would ABRA decide that the only live music my customers could hear was honky tonk?” Claudia Schlosberg, another long time resident and Hear Mt. Pleasant member states, “The system is truly broken. There was no credible evidence that justified maintaining these restrictions.” Mr. Ferrufino and his supporters are reviewing the decision and are contemplating further legal action against the city.