San Francisco bar suspended after drug allegation

An upscale bar on the edge of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood will be shuttered for a month after state liquor regulators alleged that the business allowed an employee to “negotiate the sale of cocaine and marijuana inside.”

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Wednesday posted a 30-day notice of a liquor license suspension at Playland at 1351 Polk St. The punishment was the result of an undercover investigation sparked by complaints from members of the surrounding community, said John Carr, a spokesman for the state agency.

It was unclear if any criminal charges were filed against employees of the bar.

Calls to the bar were not immediately returned Wednesday, but the outgoing message on the answering machine — and notes on the bar’s website and Facebook page — said Playland will be “closed for renovation” until March 3, which happens to be the same day the suspension is over.

Last month, Gestalt Haus, a bar in the Mission, was closed amid similar allegations of drug dealing.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale