Seattle's Mecca Cafe to be sold to nightlife entrepreneur and accused sexual assaulter Dave Meinert Meinert, who owns the 5 Point Cafe and formerly had stakes in several Capitol Hill bars, is taking over the Mecca



Photographed Dec. 15, 2015. less The Mecca Cafe has been family owned since it opened in 1930 in Lower Queen Anne. But that is about to change as Seattle's Dave Meinert is set to take over ownership. Meinert also owns the 5 Point Cafe and formerly had a stake in Lost Lake Cafe, the Comet Tavern and other Capitol Hill bars until 11 women came forward in 2018 with accusations of sexual assault and rape against him. He has denied the claims, but his profile in Seattle's nightlife scene has all but vanished since then. The Mecca Cafe has been family owned since it opened in 1930 in Lower Queen Anne. But that is about to change as Seattle's Dave Meinert is set to take over ownership. Meinert also owns the 5 Point Cafe and ... more Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Seattle's Mecca Cafe to be sold to nightlife entrepreneur and accused sexual assaulter Dave Meinert 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

The Mecca Cafe, one of Seattle's oldest continuously operating bars, will soon have a new owner.

Dave Meinert, a well-known entrepreneur in Seattle's nightlife scene who was last year accused of sexual assault by 11 women, is set to take over the Lower Queen Anne bar, according to records with the Washington State Department of Revenue.

Erica Barnett first reported the sale over the weekend, and added in her Monday post that several employees had confirmed the deal and said it would close by September. Details of the sale price were not reported.

But state records show that Meinert has already established a new entity to run the business, Queen Anne Diner, LLC. Meinert is the only governing person listed and the one registered trade name is Mecca Cafe. The license was issued on June 12.

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The Mecca Cafe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meinert also owns the 5 Point Cafe, which was opened by the same family as the Mecca in 1929. The Mecca opened a year later, and has remained in the family ever since, currently run by Karon Hanke.

Meinert had stakes in several Capitol Hill bars until sexual assault allegations surfaced last year, including Lost Lake Cafe, the Comet Tavern, Grimm's and Queer/Bar. He reportedly sold his stake in all last September, while keeping his ownership of the 5 Point. Many patrons chose to boycott Meinert-owned establishments while bands managed by his company, including Hey Marseilles and The Lumineers, parted ways with him.

KUOW's Sydney Brownstone reported on the allegations in July and August, detailing accusations of rape and sexual assault. Meinert spoke to KUOW before the first story appeared in July, and "denied the specific allegations of rape and sexual assault made against him. A couple of instances of inappropriate behavior — he said those may have happened. But he doesn't recall them," Brownstone wrote.

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The Mecca has long been loved as one of the great dive bars of Seattle, surviving decades of change in the growing city, including the latest era. Barnett reported that the cafe has a 20-year lease with no redevelopment clause (terms that would allow the lease to be cancelled for redevelopment), so the historic bar may survive at least that long.

That is, however, only if patrons have no hard feelings about the accusations against its owner.