Restaurants / The Cuban
The Cuban saved from closure
A Harbourside restaurant will stay open, despite repeated breaches of licensing conditions and a “continuing theme of bad management”.
Police had asked councillors to revoke The Cuban’s licence – effectively closing it – amid complaints they were operating as a bar: staying open late, keeping residents up into the early hours and allowing glass outside.
The team at The Cuban admitted they sometimes stayed open too late, but said that since police concerns had come to light they were closing at a sensible time and keeping the noise under wraps.
is needed now More than ever
The owner insisted it had operated fully as a restaurant since April and that having to turn drinkers away had cost him £100,000.
The Cuban’s management admitted past breaches, but said they had operated solely as a restaurant since April.
After an all-day hearing at City Hall on Thursday, August 16, Bristol City Council’s licensing committee decided to allow The Cuban to stay open. If it had closed, 25 jobs could have been lost.
Drinks promotions, a dance floor and DJ and complaints from residents pointed towards a restaurant that operated as a bar, police licensing officer Alex Warren said. She said on one night, people were partying until 4am when the restaurant was only allowed to stay open until 11.30pm.
She read out statements from residents. One claimed it was “making my life an absolute misery, there are always drunk people outside being very loud and this often goes on until the early hours of the morning, as does the music”.
The Cuban’s management said it had not been made aware of noise complaints and that some of the disturbances could have come from nearby restaurants and bars.
Police also said there was not enough door staff, and that when this was flagged up the management forged a document claiming bouncers had been working when they had not.
Meanwhile glass was being allowed outside and on the dance floor and there were issues with the restaurant’s CCTV.
Warren said: “It’s not good enough, there’s a continuing theme of bad management. They’ve been ignoring their licence for years.”
The Cuban has proved a popular venue for Bristolians, with hundreds of positive reviews online.
One frequent visitor, Rebecca Pearson, a lecturer at Bristol University, said she brought scientists from around the world to the restaurant and many had stayed nearby without any complaints over noise.
Piers Warne, The Cuban’s lawyer, beseeched councillors to allow the restaurant to stay open with a slightly relaxed licence. They also offered to meet regularly with residents to discuss any concerns.
He said the licence, originally granted in 2013, allowed The Cuban to “primarily” be a restaurant with some bar uses.
“At the high point of the police case we have got breach of conditions – we aren’t disputing that,” Warne said.
“What we’re saying is there is no crime and disorder and this year there have been no complaints.
“We’re saying now that we’re drawing a line in the sand in April, we want to look forward.”
On resident’s complaints, Warne added: “One has to take some responsibility for where one lives. If you move into the end of Millennium Parade where there’s shops restaurants and clubs, you’re doing it because you want to be in the heart of the city.”
Police admitted there was very little crime reported at the bar and most of their concerns were over noise and late night drinking.
Licensing committee chair Steve Pearce said there was “evidence of repeated and flagrant breaches of conditions over a period of time” which pointed to “ongoing poor management of the premises”.
However, he said that because there had not been any crime or disorder at The Cuban, it would be allowed to stay open.
Jack Pitts is the local democracy reporter for Bristol.
Read more: The Cuban could face closure
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