The Lot Radio bar and cafe will reopen in May

  • Published
    Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 19:37
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  • Three months after it was closed by inspectors, the city's given them the green light to reopen.
  • The Lot Radio bar and cafe will reopen in May image
  • Brooklyn's Lot Radio now has a license to operate its bar and cafe. After three months working with city agencies to get their paperwork in check, The Lot has resolved the bureaucratic issues with its cafe and will reopen on May 1st. Owner Francois Vaxelaire attributes the victory to New York City's Office of Nightlife, run by "nightlife mayor" Ariel Palitz, who helped them work with the Department of Health and the Department of Buildings. "They created space for us to have the best and most constructive dialogue," he told RA. "Without them, there would be no Lot Radio." The Lot's kiosk sells beer, wine, coffee and pastries in order to fund its adjacent online radio station, which operates out of the same shipping container in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was shut down by inspectors in January for operating without the correct permit, a permit they couldn't even apply for due to the specifics of New York City health and building codes. Today, the Department of Health approved two code exceptions that now allow them to operate within the law. They're throwing a fundraiser at Market Hotel on Saturday, May 4th, to help recover from three months of no revenue, with a lineup that's still TBA. Several RA staffers discussed the state of New York nightlife, including The Lot and the Office of Nightlife, on our recent critics roundtable.
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