Hookah Lounge Loophole Help Please

[Hookah Guru]

Am trying to open a hookah lounge in California but they wont allow me to sell any types of drinks not even water if am going to be serving hookah they said its the CA state Law not city regulation. The guys from the city said you cant have smoke in a resturaunt so if u sell drinks then it is so u cant have hookah you can only serve hookah and that it!!! Yet 2 hookah lounges opened after the band and they serve drinks and one of them is a full resturant. idk how they did it and if thier is loop holes.

[Travis]

Sounds to me that someone is feeding you bs with a spoon.....why dont you go and talk to someone from one of these lounges?

[Codename067]

Each one requires a different license, not sure who you spoke to, but they sound like dumb-asses.

Go back again, tell them about other Lounges in the area that do both!

[Hookah Guru]

[quote name='tpatt90' date='28 January 2010 - 06:35 PM' timestamp='1264732511' post='448259']
Sounds to me that someone is feeding you bs with a spoon.....why dont you go and talk to someone from one of these lounges?
[/quote]

Ya am thinking about doing that but i read the law and that is true u cant have drinks or food in the same place... its labor code 6404.5

[Hookah Guru]

[quote name='Codename067' date='28 January 2010 - 06:40 PM' timestamp='1264732802' post='448261']
Each one requires a different license, not sure who you spoke to, but they sound like dumb-asses.

Go back again, tell them about other Lounges in the area that do both!
[/quote]

well i told them about them and they said you have to talk to those cities and then later they called me and said we checked one out and we dont know how the city gave them the permite. Its stupide by wut thier saying basicly no one can open a hookah lounge wut soever anymore unless they are only serving hookah and if its indoor they can have no employees at all and the owner is the only one allowed to run it.

[Travis]

Wtf?

That doesnt sound right at all.
Somewhere along the line somebody have had to mislead you

[Amn_sinclair]

alright so from what i found there is an exemption that allows you to have the lounge as long as your primary purpose of buisiness is to sell hookah and tobacco. thats what i got out of it. We do have some lounge owners in cali on the forum so hopefully they will chime in some time soon

(4) Retail or wholesale tobacco shops and private smokers'
lounges. For purposes of this paragraph:
(A) "Private smokers' lounge" means any enclosed area in or
attached to a retail or wholesale tobacco shop that is dedicated to
the use of tobacco products, including, but not limited to, cigars
and pipes.
( "Retail or wholesale tobacco shop" means any business
establishment the main purpose of which is the sale of tobacco
products, including, but not limited to, cigars, pipe tobacco, and
smoking accessories.

[Chreees]

Someone fed you shit with a spoon...

[Hookah Guru]

"[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]2. [b]The establishment is owner-operated and has no employees. A hookah bar or RESTAURANT that is owener-operated, that is, does not have employees, is exempt from LC Section 6404.5 and may permit smoking under state law[/b]. Such an owner-operated establishment would not have any part-time employees, live entertainment such as belly dancing, or janitorial services. Once there is any employee at the establishment, it would not be exempt from LC Section 6404.5. Furhtermore, if an employee is smoking, he or she can also be cited under Health and Safety Code Section 114020(d), pertaining to employees use of tobacco where food is prepared, served, or stored, or where utensils are cleaned or stored. In all other circumstances, hookah bar or restaurants owners and patrons may be cited under LC Section 6404.5 for unlawfully smoking in an indoor workplace."

I found this i idk if they would allow me to run it as a resturant and then I can serve hookah to people... wish me luck am gonna call them on monday!!!!
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