Members of the Metro Nashville Beer Permit Board penalized four bars downtown this week after they said staff at those establishments, including Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock N Roll Steakhouse, ignored city guidelines as businesses re-open after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moxy Nashville Downtown, Broadway Brewhouse, and Nudie’s Honky Tonk were the other three bars.
Will Cheek, who represents Nudie’s in this matter, told The Tennessee Star Thursday that Beer Board members imposed a five-day suspension of their beer permit.
“I was really surprised that the Beer Board issued a suspension. They got our attention. We know what we’re supposed to be doing going forward, and we will be doing it. Nudie’s will be safe. It will be a good place to go and enjoy a good time — but they didn’t have to suspend our permit to get our attention. They got it,” Cheek said.
“We fixed the problem. So they don’t want our customers at the bar. So we have removed the stools from the bar and we’re in compliance now.”
Nudie’s staff may contest this suspension at a hearing, which Beer Board members will hold at a still unscheduled date, Cheek said.
“We will have an opportunity to contest the citation or contest the penalty. We will be contesting the penalty, because we think a suspension is too harsh at this stage,” Cheek said.
“Keep in mind these places have been closed for several weeks, and they have lost a lot of revenue. Having to close the bar for another five days is really harsh. I will ask that they reduce it to a fine.”
Staff at Nashville Moxy Downtown and Broadway Brewhouse declined our requests for comment.
No one at Kid Rock’s bar or the Nashville Beer Permit Board returned The Star’s requests for comment Thursday.
As reported this week, health officials in Tennessee have cited 14 Nashville businesses for not complying with coronavirus public health orders.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
I feel so much safer now. The brownshirts are doing a good job of snitching.
While crowds are massing in the street outside the punished businesses which were aided and abetted by the Mayor as he VIOLATED HIS OWN ORDERS.
What’s his punishment? “Some are more equal than others.” But, it could be “what goes around, comes around” as just recently happened to another Mayor who cheered on destructive “protesters” UNTIL they visited HER HOUSE to administer a little “poetic justice”.
Good.