Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Encinitas rolls back ban on dancing at Peabody's

“What is this? Footloose?"

Andrew Accardi Band at Peabody's. “This is not going to be a dance club.”
Andrew Accardi Band at Peabody's. “This is not going to be a dance club.”

The Old Testament quotes, and the 1960s band, the Byrds, sang of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven . . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

A time to dance wasn’t possible at one Encinitas eatery until January 17.

Place

Mr. Peabody's Bar & Grill

136 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas

Mr. Peabody’s, a third-generation family-run restaurant and bar on Encinitas Boulevard next to I-5, has offered live music most of its 18 years in business. But in September 2017, after a four-month investigation, the establishment was cited by the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Board for allowing “dancing” – any standing movement of customers; swaying to the music to boogieing their boots off.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After paying a $3,000 fine, co-owner Brie Cardosa began a public relations campaign to allow dancing. She gathered thousands of signatures.

The Encinitas Planning Commission on Thursday, January 17 addressed Peabody's request for a revised conditional use permit, to allow dancing on the restaurant’s its 140-foot dance floor, and host live music seven nights a week.

City staff reported that in the past year, there have been no calls for service by the sheriff’s department, nor code enforcement violations. Staff supported the application.

The commissioners heard from nine speakers in support, representing another twelve residents that waived their time to speak. No one spoke in opposition.

Lydell Fleming, a local realtor, asked the commission, “What is this? Footloose [the 1984 Kevin Bacon movie of a small Midwest town that outlawed dancing]?

Jessie Moler, who works at the club, says it’s not fair when they have to ask customers not to dance. They don’t understand and sometimes good customers leave. “We’re not loud, but if we were, where better to have live music than next to the freeway,” he asked.

City attorney Glenn Sabine said the city is not setting a precedence in approving dancing at Mr. Peabody’s, stating any future applications from other restaurants or bars will be judged on their own merits and circumstances.

Commissioner Kevin Doyle stated, “This is not going to be a dance club,” pointing out the establishment mainly serves food.

Surprisingly, the commission went above the applied number of musicians allowed on stage, which was regulated to four, upping it to five, and allowing live music earlier on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 4:00 p.m., which will allow for the return of late afternoon jam sessions the restaurant used to host. Previously, the restrictions eliminated the club’s Jam Nights and Blues and Jazz Jams.

The commission received several rounds of applause.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Andrew Accardi Band at Peabody's. “This is not going to be a dance club.”
Andrew Accardi Band at Peabody's. “This is not going to be a dance club.”

The Old Testament quotes, and the 1960s band, the Byrds, sang of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven . . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

A time to dance wasn’t possible at one Encinitas eatery until January 17.

Place

Mr. Peabody's Bar & Grill

136 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas

Mr. Peabody’s, a third-generation family-run restaurant and bar on Encinitas Boulevard next to I-5, has offered live music most of its 18 years in business. But in September 2017, after a four-month investigation, the establishment was cited by the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Board for allowing “dancing” – any standing movement of customers; swaying to the music to boogieing their boots off.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After paying a $3,000 fine, co-owner Brie Cardosa began a public relations campaign to allow dancing. She gathered thousands of signatures.

The Encinitas Planning Commission on Thursday, January 17 addressed Peabody's request for a revised conditional use permit, to allow dancing on the restaurant’s its 140-foot dance floor, and host live music seven nights a week.

City staff reported that in the past year, there have been no calls for service by the sheriff’s department, nor code enforcement violations. Staff supported the application.

The commissioners heard from nine speakers in support, representing another twelve residents that waived their time to speak. No one spoke in opposition.

Lydell Fleming, a local realtor, asked the commission, “What is this? Footloose [the 1984 Kevin Bacon movie of a small Midwest town that outlawed dancing]?

Jessie Moler, who works at the club, says it’s not fair when they have to ask customers not to dance. They don’t understand and sometimes good customers leave. “We’re not loud, but if we were, where better to have live music than next to the freeway,” he asked.

City attorney Glenn Sabine said the city is not setting a precedence in approving dancing at Mr. Peabody’s, stating any future applications from other restaurants or bars will be judged on their own merits and circumstances.

Commissioner Kevin Doyle stated, “This is not going to be a dance club,” pointing out the establishment mainly serves food.

Surprisingly, the commission went above the applied number of musicians allowed on stage, which was regulated to four, upping it to five, and allowing live music earlier on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 4:00 p.m., which will allow for the return of late afternoon jam sessions the restaurant used to host. Previously, the restrictions eliminated the club’s Jam Nights and Blues and Jazz Jams.

The commission received several rounds of applause.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Next Article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.