Dalton public safety board temporarily revokes license of establishment as manager questions process
The Deja Vu Social Club on Hamilton Avenue in downtown Dalton.
DALTON, Ga. (WDEF)- What is the difference between a bar and a restaurant?
That was the question that the Dalton Public Safety Commission had to answer Tuesday morning in a hearing concerning Deja Vu Social Club on Hamilton Street in Downtown Dalton.
Déjà Vu Social Club has been in operation for less than a year.
Alex Vital says he is the manager of Deja Vu and that his mother owns the restaurant.
He says that the decision to switch from a bar to restaurant was a strategic one.
Vital said, “We have a project to reach 60% food sales by the end of 2028 or 2027 at the end.”
However, Dalton City Attorney Jonathan Bledsoe argued that Deja Vu was not meeting Dalton’s ordinance requirement that at least 50 percent of all sales have to come from food sales.
An auditor hired by the city of Dalton, Alex Walcott, told the board, “He indicated it, and the results also indicated that once I was able to add it all up that the volume of the alcohol sales was greater than the 50% requirement.”
Vital disputed that finding, as he says his establishment is making that benchmark through sales of various food items, primarily hot dogs.
He pointed to a different audit stating that, “(It) shows 51.3% (of our) sales (come from) food.”
Bledsoe insisted that the audit Vital was discussing was never formally presented to the city.
He said, “Can the city bend over backwards to see if they could get the benefit of the doubt to allow them to see if they could actually be a restaurant.”
Vital argued that the city of Dalton is unfairly targeting his business.
He said, “This is the determination of the city to falsely accuse (us)… The community will not appreciate the way he has handled it.”
We received a copy of letter sent to Dalton leadership from the Latino Conservative Organization of Georgia that is asking for a meeting to resolve this situation.
In part that letter, written by the organization’s leader, Art Gallegos Jr., said that, “We sincerely hope that what we are seeing is not the result of targeted, disproportionate, or politically influenced enforcement. However, the current situation raises enough concern that it must be addressed proactively.”
Dalton Public Safety Commission members such as Kane Jackson say that they don’t feel like the city is targeting Vital.
Jackson told Vital, “The city is not in any position to be biased against you in any shape, form, or fashion.”
As the board voted to temporarily suspend Deja Vu’s permit for two weeks, Vital continued to argue that Deja Vu is a restaurant.
Vital said, “We all have subjective opinions on every single business, not only restaurants, and they’re more than welcome to have that, but it doesn’t align with the ordinance. It’s not evidence. A subjective opinion is not evidence.”
The Public Safety Commission recommended that the Dalton City Council vote to permanently revoke Deja Vu’s charter in two weeks at their next meeting.
