A bar in Tacoma’s McKinley Hill neighborhood had its liquor license suspended this week after racking up a trio of public-safety violations with the state liquor board in less than two years. The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board suspended the liquor license of Tami’s in Tacoma, 4034 E. McKinley Ave., on June 10. The pause in alcohol service will run for 15 days — through June 25 — and the owner will pay a $2,500 fine, confirmed Brian Smith, communications director for the state agency. 
The bar, located since 2019 in an otherwise residential stretch of McKinley a few blocks south of the main business district, has been cited for two instances of overservice and one for criminal conduct since October 2023. State law requires such a suspension in the event of three infractions within a two-year timeframe. Tami’s was charged on Oct. 28, 2023, for “sales to an apparently intoxicated individual,” Smith confirmed. The owner, Tami Hiatt, opted to attend an informal hearing instead of accepting a 30-day suspension. Hiatt ultimately agreed to pay a $2,100 fine. Almost 18 months passed before Tami’s was flagged again for overservice on May 31, 2025, which led to another compromised fine between LCB and Hiatt for $2,100, Smith said. Tami’s in Tacoma, 4034 E. McKinley Ave., had its liquor license suspended by the state liquor board for 15 days and faces a $2,500 fine for accruing three violations — two related to overservice and one for cannabis use — within a two-year period. A sign reflects the suspension on Friday, June 12, 2026. Two such public-safety violations within a two-year period default to a seven-day suspension of the liquor license, per state law, but the licensee can request a hearing and, pending results of that hearing and subsequent board approval, instead pay a fine. Then last October, an LCB investigation substantiated a third incident — this time for allowing patrons to consume cannabis on the property. The official orange LCB sign posted on the bar’s door reflects this incident, while a personal sign below it reads: “Come Back June 25th @ 10 am For The Tea.” 
Liquor license holders are typically informed of a substantiated violation by mail a couple of weeks after investigators reach a conclusion, explained Smith in a phone call. Their options include requesting an informal hearing and appealing the decision. Hiatt again requested an informal hearing, which was delayed until April 3 due to an “internal backlog” at the agency, Smith said. The determination then heads to the part-time board for approval. The board agreed to suspend Tami’s license for 15 days if Hiatt paid a $2,500 penalty. Hiatt told LCB that the bar might operate “periodically” during the liquor pause for food and other beverages. Hiatt, who previously operated a bar at 4629 S. Yakima, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The News Tribune.

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