Drinks until 1 a.m. but no DJ: Thomas Keller's Ta-boo restaurant in Palm Beach gets key OK

The new Thomas Keller-backed Ta-boo is set to open in spring 2025 as one of the only restaurants still serving drinks until 1 a.m., but don't expect a dance floor or DJ at Worth Avenue's upcoming late-night establishment.

On Wednesday, the Palm Beach Town Council voted to approve — with conditions — the agreement regulating the day-to-day operations at the eatery, 221 Worth Ave., paving the way for the newest addition to Keller's fleet of award-winning restaurants, which include Napa Valley's The French Laundry and New York's Per Se, both three-Michelin-star awardees.

In addition to addressing drinks and entertainment, Ta-boo's declaration-of-use agreement also details a clear enforcement strategy should the restaurant violate the town’s noise ordinance; bans any activity on the restaurant’s roof; and grants the town greater enforcement capabilities over the restaurant’s valet parking.

The agreement was first presented during the council’s April meeting, but members delayed their decision over concerns regarding Ta-boo's potential to become a nightclub, and the agreement’s deviation from the declaration-of-use template created by the town.

During Wednesday's meeting, attorney Maura Ziska, representing Ta-boo, said the revamped agreement incorporated nearly all the feedback given by the council and town staff. Changes included barring the restaurant from having a DJ, loudspeakers, or dance floor, a condition requested by Council Member Julie Araskog during the April meeting.

“Every change that was discussed has been incorporated in this,” Planning Director Wayne Bergman told the council Wednesday.

However, Ziska noted that the restaurant’s hours of operations remained unchanged, with the agreement still detailing hours of operations as 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Sunday, with the kitchen closing at 10:30 p.m.

The restaurant’s closing time divided the Town Council.

Council Member Ted Cooney said he didn’t mind the 1 a.m. closing time, noting that the restaurant is located inside a business district and is not neighboring any residence. He also noted that the town has historically had a calm late-night restaurant where residents could grab a drink after an evening event or dinner party. The only other options for those not part of the island's private clubs is Cucina on Royal Poinciana Way, Cooney said.

"Cucina is a place for young people, and I may be a young person in many of your eyes, but I feel older there," Cooney said.

Council President Bobbie Lindsay, who opposed the 1 a.m. closing, said while the restaurant may be in a commercial district, employees and guests would be driving through residential streets on their way home.

"I get a lot of complaints from the area near Hibiscus (Avenue) and Chilean (Avenue) about employees and people leaving restaurants late and driving through, revving their cars," Lindsay said, while questioning why the restaurant would close its kitchen more than two hours before closing.

Cooney, who works part-time as a manager at another island restaurant, Buccan, noted that many restaurants have extended hours for their drink service. He proposed allowing the restaurant to keep the 1 a.m. closing time for its first season, and that it return to the council afterward for review.

A majority of the council agreed with Cooney.

In another modification to the agreement, the council also asked Ziska to address employee parking by adding wording stating that employees will park either off-island, in the restaurant's lot on Peruvian Avenue, or in a dedicated structure on the island such as the Esplanade's parking garage.

In a surprising twist, council members also called for modifications that relaxed the disciplinary actions faced by the restaurant regarding any complaints about violating an ordinance.

Under the agreement presented Wednesday, the restaurant would be forced to close and appear before the Town Council should they receive three complaints verified by the town staff. Araskog said the document should note a specific period of time between complaints.

"If in one year they have three complaints, why would we shut them down and make them come to us?" Araskog said.

Araskog proposed that the restaurant close and appear at the Town Council should it receive three complaints within the span of two months. She also requested a modification to allow the council to place Ta-boo on their agenda should any issues arise with the restaurant's parking or traffic impact, as opposed to the agreement's three-year window.

The council voted 3-2, with council members Lew Crampton and Bridget Moran joining Cooney in voting for the agreement — conditioned on the changes requested — and Araskog and Lindsay casting the nay votes.

The amended agreement will be submitted to town staff for review before it gets final approval.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach council approves use agreement for Thomas Keller's Ta-boo