The Louisiana Restaurant Association says it supports a Senate bill that would clear up a legal muddle and allow restaurants to offer live entertainment and impose cover charges. Wendy Waren, a spokeswoman for the LRA, says the bill by Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, clarifies the current state law and does not expand the definition of a restaurant. “Current state law is silent on whether or not restaurants can charge a cover, and many restaurants have always utilized live music for the entertainment of their patrons,” Waren says. The bill is a response to a crackdown on restaurants that offered live entertainment, such as Chelsea’s Café. Chelsea’s has been in a dispute with the state office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, which says the Perkins Road Overpass hangout is illegally operating as a bar.
State restaurant association backs Chelsea’s legislation
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