Lack of parking forces bar to close

By Delia Jalomo and Erinn Fitzgerald
Contributing Writers

LuLu's Bait Shack, known for its fishbowls and wild atmosphere, shut its doors last week. It was seven parking spaces short of complying with a zoning ordinance issued by the city of Dallas in 1974.

"I don't understand why the city of Dallas wouldn't want us to provide jobs for 25 people and wouldn't want to have us pay ... over $100,000 in taxes a year," said Tony DeSalvo, LuLu's director of operations. "We were providing a fun place for many, many people."

When LuLu's opened its doors in 1995, it got both a Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Dallas and a liquor license from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Months after the restaurant had been in operation, the City of Dallas revoked its certificate of occupancy because it realized it had overlooked that LuLu's had only 28 parking spaces for 284 people. Though the city could revoke its Certificate of Occupancy, it could not revoke TABC's liquor license, so LuLu's was allowed to operate until it expired.

When LuLu's' liquor license expired in November 1998, it reapplied but could not get the license because the City of Dallas did not sign the application. LuLu's has been in litigation with the city in district court for the past six months over the matter. During that time period, LuLu's had been operating under what TABC Sgt. Brent E. Roberts calls a catering permit, which allows a bar or restaurant that does not have a liquor license to operate on its own property using another establishment's license.

Last week, LuLu's' catering permit, which had allowed it to operate under The Velvet Elvis's liquor license, expired. LuLu's finally had to shut its doors because it could not afford to stay open until its next court date, June 26, without selling liquor.

"I guess we'll pack up and go to Disney World," said Greg Korosecz, LuLu's kitchen manager. "We hope to be back in a year or so. We'll be back after the bear hibernates," he said in reference to the giant wooden bear in front of LuLu's' doors.

The bear, along with all the restaurant's other eccentric decorative items - from bras to bucks - were auctioned off Saturday.

Half of the LuLu's staff was made up of SMU students, and the customers were a good representation of SMU, DeSalvo said.

"I'll never forget LuLu's' Halloween party and the best costume contest where JonBenet Ramsey won first place and a fishbowl won second," senior political science major Alix Lormand said.

LuLu's was famous for serving mixed drinks in fishbowls and putting plastic lizards in them.

Summer Smith, a junior economics major, said she and her roommate have a collection of plastic lizards from LuLu's and are saddened they will not be able to collect anymore.

"LuLu's was one of my favorite places all through college. It was sad to see them close," Lormand said.

Staff at LuLu's said they will miss SMU students, as well.

"We thank everybody at SMU," DeSalvo said. "You guys are probably the biggest fans of LuLu's and we're gonna miss you guys the most."