Dumb Starbucks likely won’t seek health permit to reopen as it was

The Dumb Starbucks parody store in Los Feliz that caused a spectacle before it was shut down by county health officials for operating without the proper permit isn’t expected to reopen any time soon.

Little more than three days after quietly opening, Nathan Fielder -- whose “Nathan for You” show airs on Comedy Central -- addressed the growing buzz Monday and revealed he was behind the parody during a news conference.

But the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shut down the store, which had a limited menu and other nonfood items, for not having a health permit. Fielder, meanwhile, contended that the enterprise didn’t need one because it was operating as an art gallery.

At a meeting to address the issue Tuesday, representatives for the parody store said they had no plans to apply for a health permit, a spokesman for the public health department said.

That means Dumb Starbucks cannot reopen as it was. And if public health officials receive complaints that the store has started selling again, the department spokesman said “we will go down and investigate further.”

But even if the faux store were to reopen, it will have to contend with real Starbucks, which had made its displeasure with the operation clear. Through a spokesman, the corporation said it was evaluating legal options, adding that “they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark.”

jason.wells@latimes.com

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