Playland Bar on Polk street will be closed for a month because The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control alleges that an employee was dealing cocaine. SF Gate reported that Playland's liquor license is suspended until March 3 and at press time there was no word of criminal charges being brought against the employee. The bar's website and official Facebook page say that the bar is merely closed for "remodel," a term that sounds eerily like when your mom told you your goldfish "went to live in the ocean."
The truth is less nefarious than it sounds. General manager Reuben Wartons says that the bar is using its temporary closure as an opportunity to do an "extensive fixer upper ." Wartons says that the employee in question was a bar back and that he was fired following the incident. He adds that patrons can look forward to new floors and a more "presentable VIP experience" when they return to the bar next month. He's eager to reassure guests that Playland is "a very well-run venue where people can have all kinds of fun." But, obviously, not certain kinds of white powdery fun. "We can't condone behavior like that from our employees and we're sorry that happened," he adds.
The ABC has been cracking down on San Francisco bars and Playland's citation follows on the heels of the closure of Gestalt Haus after an employee in early January was busted for allegedly selling weed. According to Gestalt's Yelp page they will be back in business on February 9th (a suspension for a crime like this lasts 30 days). So San Franciscans, don't buy drugs at bars. Buy drugs on the street (or have them delivered) like normal people.
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[Via SFGate, Top image from Thinkstock, Playland image courtesy of Playland's Facebook Page]