City of Shoreline closes Café Aroma over unlicensed adult cabaret events
Monday, September 16, 2024
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| Owners posted this sign on the door of Café Aroma in Ridgecrest |
The city of Shoreline closed Café Aroma in Ridgecrest for operating without a valid business license and accused the cafe of hosting adult cabaret events without a license.
According to a search on the city’s website, the Café Aroma’s business license expired on 12/31/2023. The city requires businesses to have an Adult Cabaret license to host exhibitions and performances involving unclothed people or sexual activities.
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| A section of the Cease & Desist notice on the door of Café Aroma |
The cease and desist order posted on the door of the cafe said: “Pursuant to information provided to the City, business activities occurring at Café Aroma's location at 509 NE 165th Street necessitate both a General Business License, for the operation of an eating and drinking establishment (café), and a Regulatory Business License for the operation of an Adult Cabaret. Café Aroma currently does not maintain such licenses.”
The issue came to the attention of the city when a long-time Ridgecrest resident submitted a See-Click-Fix notice. In part, it said:
"I discovered that these events appear to be adult-oriented parties involving group sexual activities and BDSM practices.
"These events are particularly concerning given that they take place in what is typically used as the "kids' room" during the day, a space designed for children with toys and play areas."
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| Café Aroma in the Ridgecrest business district |
Tickets to the after-hours events were offered on Brown Paper Tickets with explicit details. That site has been taken down and neighbors have observed equipment being removed from the premises.
When the city investigated the issue they discovered that Café Aroma's Shoreline business license had expired at the end of 2023.
A second letter on the door is a Cease & Desist notice for operating without a food & drink license, as well as operating an unlicensed "cabaret".
Both notices state that the owners have 14 days to appeal the action.
Café Aroma is located at 509 NE 165th st Shoreline, WA 98155
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90 comments:
Short or grande?
I’ll start with this: Having a dedicated space for the extracurricular activities is something that should exist. The puritanical beliefs that try to sweep it all under the rug are not helpful.
That said, I’m not sure I want my kid in that play space. Nor would I want to play like that in a kids’ space.
***To be clear the cafe was shut down because their business license lapsed. The company they were renting out the space to was hosting events and the owners of the cafe were unaware the events had moved to a more physical nature. They were told they were discussion groups, support groups, and LGBTQ+ and kink community safe place groups.****
What is wrong with people? Time for a re-branding!
A little too much aroma of the wrong kind 🤮
So if they apply and get the required licenses then they will be able to re-open?
Yeah right that the owners didn't know! That is a lame excuse. They knew. They removed a darn HUMAN CAGE from the building over the weekend. They knew and were a part of it. They allowed it. The owners violated their lease agreement likely, they may have broken the law, they may have caused a huge liability issue for the land-owner, and now who wants to get coffee from this place after you read the details of the event invite. The community needs them gone and for new owners to make the cafe just good coffee! A cease and desist is not given lightly, clearly that was ample reasons beyond that their business license lapsed.
What's the basis of this assertion, Anonymous poster? How do we know that the owners weren't aware? How are you sure of it?
Well, I suppose the crew frequenting Café Orgasma could always meet after dark at Ridgecrest Park for something clandestine. There’s also the nearby Crest Theatre. Hint hint
At a recent after hours event, the organizers kindly asked patrons to "place a barrier between their genitals and any surfaces." I assume the surfaces in question are the overstuffed couches in back.
I don't care what consenting adults do in private, but foodservice by day/orgy by night is not gonna fly.
Pretty sure the common sanitary etiquette in those groups would make it much cleaner than if just kids used it or your average Café.
The "Cease and Desist" notice seems pretty clear and refers to a lack of adult cabaret license, rather than the lack of a business license. The tickets for these "events" sold on Brown Paper, and viewable on NextDoor are explicit in describing the events (eg: "be creative with the couches, tables chairs and spaces. Please place a barrier between your genitals and any surfaces"). It's hard to imagine that the owners were unaware of what was taking place. Or that they failed to notice the equipment that was being installed.
BlackOnyx is not the cafe.. it was a group using the cafe
Don’t do that. Do not make a statement as fact when you don’t have the necessary information. Everything being hosted was discussed and consented to, no one was deceived or in the dark about the after hours events. The events were not of a performative nature, they were not harming anyone, and they were kept discreet.
Why would this change whether or not you would want your kid in a play space? Does your kid go into different rooms in your house after you’ve been in them “after hours”? Do you, as an adult, move through spaces and then manage them to maintain safety for your kids during “kids hours”? Why would you assume this wasn’t being done in the cafe? A space is just a space, it can be used for different things at different times, and because of these actions a community staple is now closed.
After a long bike ride I stopped there and sat my sweaty ass on the couch and felt bad. Not anymore
I asked for whipped cream! Not whipped.
The employees knew exactly what was going on. Their online presence is easily found. It's easy to see these were the same people making me coffee.
The Brown Paper Ticket event description mentioned potentially disturbing scenes of bondage, pain, begging, and screaming of a sexual nature. Sex dungeon equipment was also mentioned and protection requirements regarding the shielding of genitalia as a safety precaution. This sounds like pretty heavy kink to me and not something I’d want to be occurring in my local cafe especially in a kids play area.
They for sure knew what was going on, they just did not care.
Perhaps consider rebranding the city website as See.Click.Snitch ?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1fFpRgSKMJ5xdT5qI595LMRZAdYo0fQ/view?usp=drivesdk
That space already exists, it’s called a hotel room.
This cafe was lackluster for years. Definitely in need of someone to overhaul it and made it a more neighborhood friendly spot.
I am hopeful the business makes it through this hard time. I attended the discussion groups (held privately after hours), and have frequented this coffee shop for years. It is a safe place run by welcoming people, which is largely why I felt at ease attending the discussion groups. I am deeply sad that the moral outrage of a few has so much sway and sought to destroy a supportive safe space for members of the lgbtq community and sex-positive/consent-positive folks.
They absolutely knew- they were THERE while it was happening.
DISGUSTING. The neighborhood shoul NEVER, EVER support this people. It was a great family friendly coffee shop before.
They need to be transparent about people having sex on the furniture that daytime cafe people sit on as well as the blood and fluid play that happens within this eating establishment. Hiding this information from clientele is dishonest and shady. Children climb all over the upholstered furniture and they need to give information on how well they clean everything. Laying down a towel is not enough, fluids soak through fabric easily and splatter far. Blood and semen has the potential to carry a variety of diseases and customers deserve to know. So gross.
How sad.
Leave it to the nanny laws of Seattle. Let the adults play! Live and let love. They should rename it Cafe Leather Aroma!
Except that the event listings say that the space will be selling food and drinks and to consider supporting the business owners. So it seems they did know it was happening.
In addition to be unlicensed to operate any business at all, whether that be food or “adult cabaret”.
It’s Shoreline, not Seattle.
You are making huge assumptions here. The lease was not violated with any of the actions taken. It sounds like the business license had expired, the communication is that this was unintentional and in error, and the cafe owners are currently working on fixing this. I can’t imagine that you truly think a community staple needs to be closed and a family needs to be removed from their source of income because you saw a cage and that makes you uncomfortable? These are your neighbors and they were not causing any harm.
You are suggesting that instead of using a private space that kept events from being witnessed by passersby they use a public space that would almost certainly be visible to families or be disruptive to neighbors? How is that better? What would be a more acceptable way to have events rather than use the exact space that was being used to host with signs that designated a “private event”, kept windows covered, and warned “do not disturb”?
Sounds kind of like you care what consenting adults do in private. If there’s a barrier protecting surfaces, then that keeps things about as clean as is possible. There are plenty of folks spilling or sneezing or sweating into those couches without a barrier during the day, and you wouldn’t think twice about it because that’s just normal life. But when adult parties get mentioned with more than adequate hygiene practices that’s suddenly a step too far?
And why would that be a problem if it was shielded from the public and not affecting daytime hours? These were private events, not events that were forced upon you, there is nothing happening that changes the nature of the cafe or that forces you to participate in something that clearly makes you uncomfortable.
How can an event which involves physical and mental abuse of individuals for the sexual gratification of others be construed as being a “safe space”?
Without your sex parties the neighbors can’t survive and they are really stressed about it:)
NO it wasn’t. It was the best coffee shop in neighborhood and turned into disaster after it was sold
No, it was great family friendly coffee shop
Where is the Ridgcrest Neighborhood Association? How come they don’t say or post anything about this issue? Is this caring for neighborhood? Hmmmm, SMH
I’m curious how many of the people mourning the closure of Cafe Aroma are from the neighborhood.
This isn't about being NIMBY.
YOU CAN'T ALLOW FECES, EJACULATE, AND BLOOD IN A DINING ESTABLISHMENT! Let alone think that you can 100% clean these fluids off furniture. And the fact that this was also done in the "children's' play area" is disgusting. It's hilarious to me these same employees wore face masks for covid, but see no issue with this.
You know some people like being hit for their own sexual gratification, too, right? It's a safe place when they ask to stop and play stops, it's safe when rules are posted and followed, and it's safe when the owners have the proper licenses to protect their customers and themselves.
On the brown paper ticket site it said "flaming poop guns" weren't allowed, but accidental feces was okay. Pretty sure I'm not gonna want to get a coffee and bagel the next day there. I'm not against what they were planning, but bad location. And now the owners are acting like it's just discrimination against LGBT people and themselves. Not even keeping your business license updated is against the lease and law.
On the brown paper ticket site they said "flaming poop guns" were not allowed, but accidental feces was okay. Even if they had their food and beverage permit up to date, I'm fairly sure I wouldn't feel comfortable eating there the next day. And the owners were totally aware. They have a polyamorous family ,and this was not their first event similar to this. They just finally got caught. I say do whatever you want, and I'm not judgmental until it comes to things like this in a food and beverage establishment..
Oh brother. Who cares? Really who cares? So what? I've been to a Denny's at 2 in the morning and seen worse! I think the real question and one to ask the Shoreline City Council(Especially if you are so passionate about it) is why was a business allowed to operate months without a business license? Makes you wonder how many more are operating this way in Shoreline...
This was a problem because it’s an event that is a biohazard. When bodily fluids (semen, blood, fecal matter,etc) are spread in a non clinical setting, this is a public health concern. C-Diff, Ecoli, Hepatitis, Herpes... Does this make you comfortable while you enjoy your latte and pastry? Perhaps there are guidelines for removal and sanitation procedures that can be shared with the public to alleviate concerns? The owners and party attendants prioritized their own personal desires over that of the larger community and families that have supported the cafe. However, the closure noted a lapse in licensing which has nothing to do with anyone’s personal concerns, health concerns or opinions. (Please refer to the CDC and OSHA guidelines as to what constitutes a biohazard if you have further questions)
I don’t think the RNA should be expected to comment or provide opinion on such matters. These are private business affairs that involve licensing, permitting, and regulatory issues.
Probably not many
I agree it was lacking in coffee quality for years. Never understood how Fidalgo Bay (coffee supplier) would allow the cafe to reflect their brand.
Agree
So have a party at your own house.
Accidental feces does not mean that particles are being spread, it means you’re not going to be thrown out if something happens accidentally. The same way you wouldn’t throw out an adult or child if something happened accidentally during the daytime. The difference here is that surfaces are wiped down after use and safety precautions are used and communicated.
You are conflating kink with sexual contact and sexual contact with biohazard. Kink play does not necessarily include sexual touch or involve the genitals. Sexual contact when barriers are used (which they are in these settings, it’s part of the guidelines) is not an outright biohazard. If you look at the rules for gatherings it is stated that fecal play is not allowed. A person with c diff by definition is having uncontrollable watery diarrhea, and would not be permitted to come to an event (and probably wouldn’t want to? Probably feeling kinda lousy?).
Yes it is true that E. coli and hepatitis a are primarily spread through fecal oral transmission. To insist that the risk of this is increased from a kink party with established and enforced hygiene practices, compared to a public space full of people who are sneezing and coughing and touching their mouths and using the bathroom and not washing their hands is faulty logic.
Posting not commenting on the issue.
Hope you understood the sarcasm
100%
I’ve brought my small kids here for years. I’m incredibly liberal and when I found out about this, I felt a deep violation of trust. I sincerely hope the owners are forced to sell and responsible adults take over. If you’re considering supporting their Gofundme - the audacity is shocking, and I suppose unsurprising considering the owner’s clear lack of judgement or awareness - I would encourage you to reconsider. Our community deserves better.
Feces, blood and semen transmit disease and is a biohazard. A cafe is not equipped for this. This is why people should care
That king 5 article was so misleading. So sad that the owners are taking the victimhood approach. The community, meaning the neighborhood, does not support them. Sure they got a few friends to write notes and be interviewed… but clearly this family neighborhood is outraged by their nefarious actions. They had a responsibility to our community to know what was going on inside their business. We need them to move on and move out. You’ve lost our trust.
Fun fact: as an employee, I knew nothing about it. It was always just called “a private event” and they usually ran well after I left.
We care. The actual people who live here care. It’s so plain and obvious that these defensive comments are from the owners or their friends. It’s gross. It’s wrong.
None. By looking at their profiles on FB they’re in photos with the existing owners
Their last 2 reviews on Yelp complementing the safe space are from out of state. That’s interesting.
So is this an event for people with fecal incontinence?
I'm seeing responses that dismiss concerns about contamination, potential spread of disease, adequate disinfecting, etc. And I'm going to take a little different tack. Consider that there are laws prohibiting pets in food establishments. (Bear with me here. And note that I acknowledge these laws don't apply to service animals, and are often not enforced. That's not the point.) Though many pets truly wouldn't pose an issue, there are valid reasons for those laws. Stuff happens. So when we aren't supposed to bring even our well-behaved pets through the door, how can anyone think the after-hours activities at Cafe Aroma are okay? It doesn't make a difference that they're private, after-hours, consensual, self-policed, precautions taken, cleaned up after. It's a *food establishment.* Some people are concerned about pets. Stop arguing that the activities shouldn't be a concern, shouldn't be anyone's business. It's *exponentially* more of a concern!! It's indefensible.
There is a gofundme?!? Oh please no. Well-said: the audacity is shocking.
I'm in absolute stitches about the people on this comment board who are vigorously defending the practice of having kinky sex parties in a place where food will be served to the public in a few hours.
"If there’s a barrier protecting surfaces, then that keeps things about as clean as is possible." Yeah sure. It's a ridiculous position to take. We all know it's ridiculous. You know it's ridiculous too.
Hopefully King County Public Health nukes this business from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
Not quite sure how you made that leap. The point is that these events are doing their best to limit any kind of fecal contact and ask attendees to be mindful of that, while acknowledging that humans are humans and sometimes accidents happen unintentionally. Same as they would anywhere else.
Yeah of course the friends of the cafe are commenting about this! We live here too and we care too! This is our community as much as it is yours, and we want it to flourish just as much as you do. Having a private event that affects no one (unless you’re loitering and really trying to be “exposed” to sounds or what have you) is not wrong. There’s truly no need to call your neighbors gross just because a kink party makes you uncomfortable.
Please explain why you feel like your trust is violated? And why a go fund me to support keeping a local business open is audacious when a cease and desist based on faulty information was enforced? I assume you saw the interview?
Clearly, there are passionate advocates here for poop in cafes.
idn't know that online reporting tool was to report this kind of stuff. I mean if I just search every business on the Shoreline website and see it doesn't have a license noted (ignoring errors in input, backlog, etc.) or I think someone might be using their home in a potentially nonconforming way I can just report it on some 3rd party app that the City uses to avoid having to take responsibility for what would otherwise be illegal investigative behavior.
I wonder if the City/Police use this tool for probable cause generation.
Who needs due process, who cares about the ability to face your accusers. What a joke Shoreline.
100% AGREED
I proudly supported the GoFundMe for both the café and the group that organized the events. These folks are suffering unfairly due to the loud voices of a few individuals with no first-hand experience of these events. I'm seeing a lot of "my community" this and "my community" that amongst the moral outrage in these comments. And a lot of ignorance too. These events followed better hygiene practices than the general public does in common spaces like this. These are members of your community, and they have just as much right to this space as the rest of you. "My community deserves better"? This community is comprised of a diverse group of people, not all of whom will share your values. But these are good people, they run a lovely café, and Shoreline is better for having them in it. I wish them all the success, and I'm glad to see that Café Aroma is open again today.
Ridgcrest SHOULD give them what they deserve. THE BOOT 👢
If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, shut it down.
When you have to defend the possibility of accidental feces as a part of your social activity you might want reconsider whether they are normal or not. The only events I’ve attended with accidental feces were parties for kids in diapers.
“These events followed better hygiene practices then the general public does” How smug! And the general public doesn’t need to be told how to manage semen, blood and feces at their events.
Their friends who are pooping there
This would be the most hilarious comment I’ve ever read… if it weren’t for the fact that it was true. I hope you show up to the next city council meeting. These are serious concerns about a food establishment. I cannot believe the defensiveness over the feces issue from the owners. What reality are you in!?
I hope the community shows up to voice these concerns in a forum where it might matter:
https://shoreline.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=1570
So are you suggesting that the Cafe wasn’t hosting unlicensed adult “cabaret” events which required guidelines to be provided on handling of bodily fluids?
The landlord should kick them out for breach of contract. They bought a food serving establishment and not a cabaret
So was this a support group for fecal incontinence? Someone in my church has that and would love some more info on support groups in the area. Could I get details on the next meeting? She might want to attend. She’s 72 and in a wheelchair so the building would need wheelchair access.
There are codes and regulations. You can't expose yourself in public, and you can't have an adult cabaret in a neighborhood's coffee shop.
Well said
An "Adult Cabaret" clearly refers to a commercial strip club. I do not know the exact text of the Washington State or King County "adult cabaret" laws, but it seems like a stretch to me that these laws would apply to such an event. If someone hires a stripper for a private party in their home, would they need an "adult cabaret" licence? I don't think so.
Also, those who are in a panic about sex-being-had at a location where children may later be present - I'd like to inform them about spaces going by names such as hotels, motels, airbnbs, etc. They include beds where people sometimes have S-E-X. Families with children sometimes later sleep in those beds. We really need to put a stop to this degeneracy!
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