Bikini-barista coffee chain drawing criticism from locals
Bottoms Up Espresso is planning to open up a new location in Chico, Calif., but the idea appears to have residents hot and bothered — and not in the way the owners likely intended.
An unconventional coffee shop in California is finding itself at the center of controversy – yet again – as a result of its servers’ skimpy styles.
At a meeting on Tuesday, city council members in American Canyon voted unanimously to revoke a license granted to Bottoms Up Espresso, after critics argued that the “bikini barista” coffee shop was operating more like an adult business than a café.
The coffee shop, which has multiple locations in the Bay Area, originally secured its American Canyon location in December, SF Gate reported.
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City officials claim they received complaints about the servers’ outfits following the store’s opening, prompting a community director to speak with the owner.
“I met with one of the owners on Jan. 4, 2019 who informed me that he intends to require the employees at the American Canyon store to wear costumes that are as revealing as the costumes worn on staff at other Bottoms Up Espresso stores,” community director Brent Cooper had previously said, according to the Vallejo Times-Herald. “The business owner provided a ‘dress code.’ The costumes in the ‘dress code’ are revealing to a degree that the business meets the definition of an adult business per the city’s Municipal Code.”
According to the SF Gate, the city’s municipal code also requires workers to cover specific “anatomical areas” of the body, including the buttocks, the pubic area, and the breasts below the areola. Otherwise, it may be classified as an adult-entertainment establishment.
The owner of Bottoms Up, Nate Wilson, told Fox News he felt the "city has gone beyond the law" with its ruling, but will "move on from that location" regardless.
"We have decided to move on from that location due to the fact the city will waste a bunch of taxpayers' money to fight us in court, where if we wanted to make a point would win. We do not fall into 'adult entertainment' as they suggest. The license was revoked before we even opened or went to any appeals. The city is acting beyond their powers and shows you how even small government abuses their powers."
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Bottoms Up had previously come under scrutiny before opening its Chico location, and specifically its proximity to a dance school.
At the time, owner Nate Wilson argued that the baristas weren’t wearing anything Californians wouldn’t see on a beach.
"We are a very classy business and pride ourselves on customer service and quality drinks. We have dress codes that expose less then you would see at a pool or beach," CEO Nate Wilson told Fox News.
Chico Mayor Sean Morgan had also called Bottoms Up’s Chico location “unfortunate,” but ultimately said the business was not violating city code.
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Nate Wilson co-founded the first Bottoms Up Espresso location in Modesto, Calif., in 2011. He confirmed to Fox News there are at least a dozen other locations under development in the Sacremento area, along with more in Arizona.
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