At Voyeur, strippers used the kitchen as a dressing room. At SBE-owned Industry, a table for the night costs $2,000, but don't expect to eat. At Hyde Lounge, another SBE hotspot, ask a bartender for food and you'll be told they don't serve any. That's according to an undercover investigation by NBC Los Angeles of several local nightclubs who secured their state liquor licenses by posing as restaurants but serve little to no food. Now, the ABC (California's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) is cracking down. No, not for having bad taste or a fostering a faux air of exclusivity with absurdly inflated prices, but for flouting state law.

ABC spokesman John Carr tells our sister blog The Informer some of the details surrounding the citations including one for alleged “lewd conduct” at Voyeur and another for an alleged lack of utensils at Industry. Just sip that overpriced champagne from your date's stiletto.

Carr:

Accusations against Hyde

Failure to Operate as a Bona Fide Eating Place, sections 23038 and 23396 of the California Business and Professions Code

Accusation against Voyeur

Failure to Operate as Bona Fide Eating Place, sections 23038 and 23396 of the California Business and Professions Code (2 counts)

Lewd Conduct, section 143.3 (2 counts)

Accusation against Industry

Failure to Operate as Bona Fide Eating Place, sections 23038 and 23396 of the California Business and Professions Code (2 counts)

Violation of Conditions section 23804(4 counts) Industry was cited for failure to provide meals, tables, chairs, cutlery, a menu, condiments and other items used for consuming food

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.