The Spot, a restaurant in downtown Campbell, is being forced to change some of its business practices following a Feb. 14 decision by the city planning commission.

The commission voted unanimously to modify the owner’s use permit that determines the business’ hours, menu and entertainment options after reviewing what city staff and police officials said were multiple violations at the restaurant.

According to a staff report, the city documented more than 20 use permit violations between January and November of last year. The city said violations included exceeding the 125-person occupancy, live entertainment going beyond approved hours, having security guards that were not properly licensed and being the source of significant calls for police service.

In addition to the violations, city staff said a patron headbutted a police officer.

Businesses and operational hours will also change from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays to daily hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The move will transform into just a bar and restaurant.

Operational hours will be from 7 a.m. to midnight, with staff leaving no later than 12:30 a.m. Changes to the late night hours were suggested by city staff, who said that calls for police service were most often made between midnight and 2 a.m.

“We compared (The Spot) to other restaurants, which is what they are, and they were significantly higher for calls for service,” Campbell Police Capt. Joe Cefalu told the commission. “And we looked at just bars, and they were over double the calls.”

Rather than revoke the business’s conditional use permit, the commission agreed with staff’s recommendation to cap maximum capacity at 125 people and to no longer allow people on the patio area. The city recently discovered that part of the patio area was on public property, and as such the business did not have a permit for outdoor alcohol service.

“We were totally unaware of this,” said Aaron Crites, owner of The Spot, adding there have been city officials and staff on the patio area before, and the public property issue never came up. “Not to mention we were here at the planning commission only a short year ago, and there was no mentioning of it then, either. Again, communication with the business is very important.”

Crites responded to each of the violations during the meeting, saying that some of the overcapacity numbers were “exaggerated,” and that the conditions in his live entertainment permit were not being applied properly. He said the city was enforcing hours from a past live entertainment permit for a previous establishment.

“Within the last 10 weeks we have seen some unfair practices and assumptions that can truly be verified by us,” Crites said.

This was the second such visit for ownership before the planning commission in a year. Last summer saw discussion over confusion and complaints from nearby residents when outdoor entertainment continued past 5 p.m. on Sundays.

A dance floor is no longer permitted at any time, and a full menu is required so that the business operates as a restaurant rather than a nightclub.

The commission also approved staff’s request that all tables in the restaurant be permanently affixed to the ground.

The Spot is prohibited from having live entertainment until next year, as was instituted when the police department suspended its live entertainment permit in December. Music is allowed but only during dinner service, according to city staff.

On March 7 the city council will review The Spot’s request to reinstate live entertainment.