Laundromat-Bar Plan Would Give Beer Suds A Spin In Crown Heights

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A new laundromat on its way to Rogers Avenue is hoping to serve up a different kind of suds.

Pearl Lee's Washtub, planned for a storefront near Montgomery Street, won the approval of Community Board 9 on Tuesday for a liquor license at its new "laundro-bar," or a laundromat with a bar inside.

"More popular in Europe, a laundro-bar is a laundromat that serves alcohol and food while you wait for your laundry to be done," owner Theo Dupree explained at an earlier meeting.

The laundro-bar, named for Dupree's aunt, would serve beer and wine with its menu of burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches in both a backyard area and a bar set up in the back of the laundromat. A jukebox and flat-screen TVs would help entertain customers while they dine, Dupree said.

It wouldn't be the first Brooklyn business to spice up laundry day. A laundromat opened several years ago in Greenpoint included a limited bar and a 1,000-square-foot arcade.

But while some Crown Heights board members said they were excited to try out the business model, others were less ready to take the idea for a spin.

The approval — with 22 in favor, six abstentions and six no votes — came with a list of concerns the board decided to send to the State Liquor Authority, which will make the ultimate decision about the liquor license.

Among the concerns was whether the food-and-laundry combination was reviewed by the health department, how to keep drunk patrons from causing disruptions in the laundromat area and how Paul Lee's plans to keep underage customers in the laundromat from joining the bar scene.

"I’m not saying we should oppose this application, what I’m saying is we should address these concerns in our letter to the SLA," Public Safety Committee Chair Yaacov Behram said. "That way, if the establishment does go forward, we are comfortable knowing our children are going to be protected."

Dupree said only those 21 and older will be allowed in the bar area, which will be separated by a wall. He also increased the number of employees at the business from two to four after concerns from the board at an earlier Public Safety Committee meeting about who would monitor those rules.

Not all board members saw the need for the list of concerns, though. Most contended that, as in other businesses, it would be the employee's and parent's responsibility to keep children in line.

"I don’t think there’s any bartender in New York City that would ever knowingly serve a child — I think that’s a bit ridiculous," board member Melissa Severe said.

"There’s people that are on the corner drinking beer — children are walking past people drinking all the time," Vivia Morgan added. "If you’re in the laundromat with your child, you have a right to make that decision."

For his part, Dupree pointed out that the laundro-bar concept is similar to bowling alleys, Dave & Buster's and other family-friendly businesses that also serve alcohol.

He told skeptical board members that combining the businesses was more "cost-effective" than opening two separate establishments.

Some board members said they saw a yes vote as a way to support small business innovation.

"It's a novel idea, it's 21st century," Tessa Hackett Vieira said. "Give us a break, give the potential entrepreneur a break and let's move along."