A Tempe hookah bar regained its permit to operate Tuesday after fixing its ventilation system and finalizing other repairs.
Memo’s Café, located near East Broadway Road and South Mill Avenue, was cited for building safety code violations in January.
The city’s development review commission voted to revoke the bar’s operational permit in April due to the violations, which pertained to an improper ventilation system.
Since then, owner Ramez Rabata has appealed the revocation and has continued to operate Memo’s Café during the appeals process. On Tuesday, Rabata submitted to the commission construction plans that showed the ventilation system had been fixed.
Rabata said he is pleased with the results, although the repairs were extremely costly.
Last month, Rabata said he spent nearly $11,000 on repairs to the ventilation system.
Due to the expenses of repairs, Rabata chose to take the fall semester off from ASU, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.
The appeal was approved Tuesday on the condition that the final part of construction — completing the lighting and vision panels — are done within two weeks, said Steve Abrahamson, the city’s planning and zoning coordinator.
“So rather than deny him, the commission saw the correct path was to approve him with the condition that he finish it up in a timely manner, that being two weeks,” he said.
Rabata said the additional construction aspects, which involve installing windows on the exit doors, would cost around $600.
Business was somewhat affected during construction, but he said he expects it to pick up again now that the majority of repairs are complete.
Reach the reporter at anatwood@asu.edu
