‘We were just blindsided’: Revelers Hall owner says music cover had not been an issue

For six and a half years, the sounds of brass bands have wafted out of Revelers Hall’s front doors and onto the streets of Bishop Arts.

But recently, the owners of the popular restaurant and bar said that the city of Dallas is asking them to stop charging a music cover fee and keep the door shut during performances.

“We were just blindsided that we were even in violation of a code. We were not aware that the restaurant status prohibits us from collecting a cover charge or a music fee,” said Revelers co-owner Amy Wallace Cowan. “And so we were just kind of like, ‘Oh wow. OK.’”

When asked why code enforcement is taking action now, a spokesperson for the city said the Night Entertainment Team is part of a special unit within the code compliance department that was established a little