DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (WAFB) - A Denham Springs restaurant has lost its liquor license after city leaders decided weekly church services held there make it a church, not a restaurant.
The Mustard Seed Creamery, owned by Tim and Tasha Levert, serves food, ice cream, and wine five days out of the week. But on Sunday mornings, the space is transformed into a gathering place for worship.
That dual use is now at the center of a dispute between the owners and the Denham Springs City Council.
“If a church is regularly meeting in that restaurant, then essentially, the city attorney told me that they’re defining that restaurant as a church. She said you can’t sell alcohol because you are within 300 feet of a church,” Tim Levert said.
In a 3-2 vote last month, the council declined to renew the restaurant’s alcohol permit. Most council members argued that the weekly services made the business primarily a church.
“It goes back to what I said earlier, you either want to be a restaurant, or you want to be a church. You can’t have both,” Councilwoman Lori Lamm-Williams said during that meeting.
Levert said the business began selling alcohol in August 2024, about a month after its grand opening, and started holding Sunday services shortly thereafter. In November, the owners were told their liquor license would not be renewed because of the church services, and they have not been able to sell alcohol since Jan. 1.
Levert points out that all permits for the business list it as a restaurant, and he pays taxes on the space as a restaurant.
Although the restaurant features church-like décor, including a piano, Bible chapters, and even a pew, Tim said it is “100 percent a restaurant” that simply allows religious services when the business is closed.
“The effect has been to tell a church you can’t meet there and to tell a restaurant you can’t host a church service and still sell alcohol,” Tim said.
Louisiana law prohibits alcohol sales within 300 feet of a building used exclusively as a church. However, Denham Springs’ ordinance does not include the word “exclusively,” which Tim believes is at the heart of the disagreement.
“It bothers me as a Christ follower, and as an American, for someone to say, ‘Nope, your church can’t meet at that location,’” he said.
The owners say they hope the dispute can be resolved. If not, he says they will have to move the religious gatherings to a different location.
to report a typo. Please include the headline.
to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2025 WAFB. All rights reserved.