There’s been a dust-up with the businesses of Greg Bronstein, the Castro entrepreneur who opened and acquired a number of neighborhood bars in the last decade. Trigger (2344 Market Street) was temporarily closed this week due to a tax-related liquor license suspension, and it is allegedly supposed to reopen tonight. However a similar suspension notice went up on the door of Lime (2247 Market Street), another Bronstein-owned business yesterday, which means the stumbling drunk, mostly heterosexual brunch crowd that descends on the place every weekend will be sorely disappointed to find Lime closed until further notice — and more ominously, the phone number’s been disconnected.
As the Bay Area Reporter discovers, Bronstein has fallen behind on taxes for both businesses, leading to these temporary Board of Equalization closures. Apparently, Trigger has had BOE holds pending on its license since 2008, when the bar was still known as Jet. They also mention that he’s got $50,000 in fines still to pay to the city because of repeated noise complaints against Trigger. Neighbors and Planning commissioners have even been talking about trying to have the club shut down, which Supervisor Scott Wiener has so far prevented.
Since the late 1990s, Bronstein has invested heavily in the Castro, purchasing the former Bar on Castro, the Transfer (which later became the Bar on Church), Lime, the restaurant Luna, and the former Detour, which became Jet and Trigger. Luna recently closed for good, and Bronstein sold off the Bar on Church, which is now Churchill. [Update: It appears Bronstein sold his stake in Luna some time ago.]
Bronstein’s assistant told the BAR that any holds on the licenses were resolved, however that does not appear to be the case with Lime. That’s a big “Oh No!” for the drunken twentysomethings who have regularly made a habit of doing their bottomless-mimosa day-drinking there. We’ll update you as we learn more.
Update: Just as Trigger reopened quickly, Lime reopened over the weekend as well, and it appears Bronstein has resolved the tax issues that led to the suspensions. Stay tuned, however, in case this story doesn’t end here.
Trigger, Lime liquor licenses suspended [BAR]
Earlier: Trigger bar paying off $50,000 in fines [BAR]
