Embassy Lounge at 33-02 Queens Blvd. (Photo: Queens Post)
Nov. 7, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
Embassy Lounge, the troubled club at the corner of 33rd Street and Queens Boulevard, had its liquor license suspended yesterday following recent violent events that allegedly took place at the venue, according to the State Liquor Authority.
The suspension period prohibits alcohol to be sold or consumed on site, with the SLA noting that it now intends to permanently cancel or revoke the venue’s license.
The SLA noted at least three events in the last month that prompted the immediate suspension of the club’s license.
On Oct. 2, for instance, a large brawl broke out in front of the club involving multiple drunk patrons. A woman was hit in the head by a bottle during the brawl, but staff allegedly refused to provide her aid or call an ambulance, the SLA said.
Just days later on Oct. 7, a patron was assaulted by five men outside the club after getting into a dispute with someone inside. The group punched, kicked, and slashed the man, who required 62 staples in his back as a result.
Notices at the entrance of the Embassy Lounge. (Photo: Queens Post)
The club, however, refused to share surveillance video of the incident with police, the SLA said. A week later on Oct. 12, the SLA and NYPD to conduct a joint inspection, and issued 40 summonses for fire and safety code violations.
But the troubles did not stop there. Later in the month, on Oct. 26, another fight broke out, where a woman was stabbed and lost partial vision in her eye as a result.
The club, according to the SLA, did not call 911 to report the incident, and once again refused to share surveillance video with police.
Last week, the SLA charged the Embassy Lounge with 21 violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control law, including operating a disorderly premise, employing a felon, and improper conduct for refusing to provide medical aid to an injured patron.
“This licensee has taken no actions to stem the violent incidents and rampant disorder that are occurring at this bar on a regular basis,” said Christopher R. Riano, counsel to the SLA. “The complete failure to supervise or offer help to patrons assaulted at his establishment poses an imminent threat to the community, and I applaud the Authority for shutting down this establishment.”
The SLA added that is has multiple pending cases against the Embassy Lounge. It charged the bar on Nov. 1 for employing unlicensed bouncers, among other violations, and fined the lounge $15,000 for six charges of operating a disorderly premises between January 2015 and October 2017.
The agency says the club at 33-02 Queens Blvd., run by Soel Lounge Inc., has been a hot spot for crime over the course of several years, and has become a significant drain on resources from the 108th Precinct, despite its name changes.
The club, in its many iterations, appears to be run by the same owner. It ran as Soél Club and Lounge before switching its name to Allure, taking on the Embassy Lounge name in recent years. In 2015, a rally was held outside then-Club Allure, where Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer called on the establishment to be shut down.
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4 Comments
About time after years of fights finally
close it down
Who goes there? It’s in an industrial area. There’s a train stop, but you’re telling me someone would travel to go there!? Get outa town!
I’m pretty sure clubs like this would find it difficult to open in a normal business district. Strip clubs, etc. usually operate in areas that see a real decrease in pedestrian/auto traffic after 6 PM. They don’t want families with kids walking past their front door when they’re open. If a club like this has scantily clad women who are attractive alongd liquor for sale, many people will check it out, regardless of the “inconvenience” of having to travel there.