Charlotte club ‘no longer suitable’ to hold alcohol permits after many COVID violations
A Charlotte night club will have its alcohol permit suspended for seven days — but it could have been much longer — after violating coronavirus-related restrictions.
El Centenario Night Club on North Tryon Street repeatedly violated pandemic restrictions and was the first Charlotte business to have its alcohol license suspended in October over COVID-19 violations, the Observer previously reported.
The University City club faced two options on Wednesday when the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission meets: accept a 57-day suspension, or pay a $5,000 penalty with a seven-day suspension starting July 9.
“The ongoing health and safety risks coupled with the location’s propensity for escalated violence show the establishment is detrimental to the community,” Alcohol Law Enforcement agent Kelly Kearns said in a five-page report. The agents asked that the commission find El Centenario, owned by James Kevin Galyan, to be “no longer suitable to hold ABC permits.”
Violations by the night club are “causing a significant drain” on ALE and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department resources, the agents said in the report.
Galyan, who has operated the club for eight years, told the Observer on Wednesday that he paid the $5,000 fine and accepted the seven-day suspension. That means the club will be closed July 9-10 because it’s only open on Fridays and Saturdays.
Pending violations
El Centenario faces five violations from Feb. 27, according to the report.
Two violations are COVID-19-related: failure to comply with social distancing, mask requirements and occupancy limits; and not requiring customers to remain seated.
The other three violate ABC commission rules: failure to limit the bar to members and guests; loud music prevented communication with employees and customers; and failure to maintain a complete roster of members.
Under North Carolina’s executive order, bars like El Centenario were allowed to reopen on Feb. 26 at 30% capacity, with customers required to be seated, social distanced and wearing masks unless eating or drinking.
ALE agents reported “enormous crowds of unseated patrons.”
“I could not walk inside many areas of the establishment without physically touching multiple people... my face was within inches of faces of patrons not wearing face coverings,” Kearns said in the report.
The two dance floors had at least 250 people drinking, smoking hookah and dancing, according to the report. Bartenders also did not consistently wear face coverings.
A video obtained by ALE agents also showed El Cententario continuing to violate seating, social distancing, face covering and other executive order requirements, according to the report.
“The location continues to self-identify as a dance club and continues to operate as such in direct violation of executive order restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Kearns said in the report.
Past violations
The private club had been cited several other times since May 2020 by state ALE agents and CMPD officers, before being shut down in October for violations, the Observer previously reported.
Galyan had opened the club several times when bars were not allowed to be open under statewide pandemic restrictions in May and July. He told the Observer that he needed to open to pay mounting bills.
El Centenario’s alcohol permits were suspended by the state ABC commission in October for repeatedly violating state COVID-19 restrictions.
At that time, bars and night clubs were allowed to reopen Oct. 2 for outdoor seating only and with limited capacity.
El Centenario allowed a crowd of over 300 people inside and served alcohol after the then 11 p.m. curfew limit, according to ABC Commission reports.
Officials also observed criminal activity in September, including a shooting in the parking lot and a fight of about 30 customers that required calling the police for crowd control, according to reports.
The ABC commission agreed in January to lift the club’s alcohol permit suspension once bars could open with indoor seating, and as long as the business had no other violations. Galyan paid a $3,000 fine.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Charlotte club ‘no longer suitable’ to hold alcohol permits after many COVID violations."