BREMERTON, Wash. -- The owner of a Bremerton espresso stand said police informed him Wednesday that the city was threatening to shut his business down because his baristas wear bikinis, reported KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
Chris Tibbs from Baristas Coffee on Naval Avenue said a Bremerton city official called him a "purveyor of smut."
Tibbs said he is contacting his lawyer to block the move and that his employees wore bikinis because of the hot weather.
Other espresso stands with scantily clad baristas have caused controversy in recent months.
Most recently, Espresso Gone Wild in Belfair was shut down Tuesday after Mason County officials decided the pasty-wearing women are erotic entertainers and against zoning laws. The stand would be able to reopen with adjustments to the amount of clothing the baristas wear, officials said.
In contrast, the baristas at the Gorst branch of the same business has been serving beverages in pasties for about eight months.
