Yesterday Steve Lewis noted that certain clubs were getting hit hard by investigators after a Times article outed them as smokeasies, but according to a NY1 item, the crackdown goes beyond mere fines. Today the DOH is arguing before a tribunal that M2, the Box, the Imperial, Southside, and Lit Lounge should have their food and beverage permits yanked owing to “willful and continuous disregard of the smoking ban” discovered during an undercover operation last year. Lit just celebrated its seventh anniversary and has done a remarkable job of actually staying fun during those years (albeit for a young crowd) — and do we even have to mention the irony of a place called Lit going down for this reason?
DOH Takes Five Manhattan Clubs To Court For Smoking Violations [NY1]
Health Dept. to yank permits of nightclubs that scoff at New York City’s cigarette smoking ban [NYDN]
