50 Cent is Hosting Event at Finale/The General, But is it Legal?

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Forever fetching horrible headlines at 199 Bowery, EMM Group is at it again. The Lower Eastpacking club complex is hosting an “All Star Weekend” sponsored by Effen Vodka, which features a cameo by 50 Cent himself for tonight – the Friday the 13th kickoff.

50 Cent will allegedly be in da club at Finale. Yet residents living above at 199 Bowery are worried about yet another instance of a party bleeding into The General. Apparently this sham of a restaurant has been sporadically hosting soirees in the space ever since its closure six months ago. As before, EMM Group is allegedly skirting its stipulations with the State Liquor Authority. Technically, the General must operate as a bakery (ha!)/restaurant during hours open. Unless baked goods are imported or recently-departed chef Hung Huynh returns to cook for the drunken masses, it’s just another instance of a problem child getting away with it.

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Not to mention, Finale itself never attained legitimacy and is by most accounts illegal. A refresher of the stipulations that EMM had agreed to while orchestrating a bait-and-switch with the backroom club:

1) it will operate as a full‐service restaurant, consisting of Latin Asian fusion small plates, on the ground floor and basement with a bakery café on the ground floor, both floors serving food during all hours of operations, 2) the hours of operation of the restaurant will be 5:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. all days and the hours of operation of the bakery will be from 6:00 A.M. to 12:00 A.M. all days, 3) it will play ambient background music only, consisting of recorded music in the bakery and recorded music and DJs in the restaurant on the ground floor, and recorded music, DJs and live music, specifically live jazz, in the basement but will not have promoted events or any event at which a cover fee will be charged.

And for good measure, here’s a description of the party that coulda come from Stefan himself:

Finale, the NYC nightlife gem known for its cutting-edge style and trendsetting crowd, invites you to an All Star Weekend and a Friday the 13th mega-party with Effen Vodka, featuring the one and only 50 Cent. Taking place at Finale – the trendy nightlife “it” spot for the city’s celebrities and A-list partiers – this exclusive bash will have you partying in swanky, high-energy style as you rub shoulders with the hip-hop superstar and a crowd of NYC’s high-profile party people.